Those Silver Wings
by DarkxBlossom
Summary: Sakura has always been overshadowed by her sister Haruki. Aching for escape, she finally gets her dream come true: Boarding school. But after 2 years, complications pull her back to home, and she must be ready to face the life she never wanted to live.SxS
1. Chapter 1: She Doesn't Want This

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

_Those _

**Silver**

_**W I N G S – **_

B_y_ **d**_a_**r**k**X**_blossom_

_**.**_

I see you

Standing there

Watching with

Gentle eyes as I

Turn

Away

The girl who wrote the poem bit her lip, contemplating.

"No…" she muttered. "Too… freakin' _un_emotional."

She crossed some words out and edited it a bit.

I stand there

Seeing your

Gentle eyes

But it hurts

To

Keep gazing

**Chapter One**

Soft, long brown hair cascaded down her pale, small shoulders. Her slightly small lips sent into a content smile. Exotically bright, apple green eyes looked at herself from the view of her full-length mirror.

The white and pink summer dress she wore clung perfectly to her body. She watched as the skirt twirled up and down at her knees.

She whispered to herself. "Haruno –

Haruki."

XXX

I pulled on some skinny jeans, red Converse, and my gray Yasu Academy sweatshirt over my black shirt.

"Hey there," I murmured, winking playfully at my reflection. I tucked a lock of stray hair back, and then began to brush my teeth.

_Knock. Knock_.

"Sakura! You done?" a voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, you can come in, Sayuri." Quickly, I spat out the minty foam and rinsed my mouth over with water. I pressed a towel between my lips, patting it to make sure I was dry.

The door creaked open just a bit, and then swung out all the way. The girl, Sayuri, my roommate clutched onto my lime green suitcase.

"Shit, Sakura! What do you have in here?" she demanded, letting go immediately. "It's heavy!"

"Shit." I replied, grinning. "It's all the necessities for surviving boarding school." I paused, flickering a glance back to Sayuri. "And well, surviving _you_." I grabbed the suitcase and hauled it back to our room, setting it on my bed. Sayuri followed suit.

I couldn't believe it. I plopped onto my bed, smelling the aroma, trying to make it imprint in my brain forever. Because starting today, I wouldn't be sleeping here anymore.

Well, starting today, my life was over.

"Wow…" I breathed. "A whole two years and a semester at Yasu Academy and it's finally over for me."

"God, Sakura, you sound as if the world is ending." Sayuri commented, smiling lightly and laying down on the same bed I was.

I smirked bitterly. "_My_ world atleast."

"You have to call, _always_. And email and text me." Sayuri changed the subject quickly, on to lighter priorities.

"I will." I promised firmly. _I would._

"Haruno!"

We both shot up, annoyed. In the doorway stood the dean's assistant, Mayu. "Let's leave, Haruno. The airport won't wait for one girl."

I sighed as I got up, trudging towards the door slowly, savoring my last moments. Sayuri hugged me tight, kissed my cheek, and then let me off, to my own doom. Mayu motioned the way.

"Hell awaits." I grumbled.

As Mayu assisted me out the gate of the academy, the orange cab waiting impatiently outside the gates, I tilted my head to sky, prayed to God I would survive.

XXX

"Damn it, where are they?" I demanded, as if asking myself would totally give me an answer. So, okay, let's see. It had been about forty minutes after my plane arrival at Konohagakure, and my parents were not here – well, at least I could'nt find them. I decided to go to the Baggage Claim Area alone to get my suitcases, and now I was roaming around section B-14, where my mother stated to be.

"I might as well go home on a taxi if –"

"Sakura!"

My body swiveled around, trying to detect where the voice was.

"Sakura!"

My eyes landed upon my mom, Sasame, who was scurrying to meet me, frazzled but delighted. Trailing quite far behind her was a girl, mouth tight and frowning, and arms crossed around her chest.

Haruki.

I almost laughed inside my head. She was _different._

Though I could barely recognize her with the fact that she had dyed her once pink hair brown. Of course.

Arms wrapped around me, entangling me in a warm embrace. Behind, Haruki huffed.

"Hey, Okaa-san," I greeted lightly, smiling and wrapping my arms around her. "It's nice to see you."

"Oh, Sakura, I missed you so much!" Okaa-san replied, letting go. She beamed with the sight of me. Well, I kind of hope that was what she was doing. "Wow, and you cut your hair, too."

"It's only fair," I said, smirking at my twin sister, "because _she_ got to dye hers."

"Yeah, nice to see you, too, Sakura." Haruki bit in, faking a warm smile. Heh, _BITCH!_

"So where is he?" I asked her. Haruki shrugged. "Who, Otou-san? Work."

"Oh."

"Oh dear, you'll love your new school. Haruki does." Okaa-san said. I rolled her eyes, but not when Okaa-san could see me. _Great. A school loved by Haruki? I'll hate it._ Instead of saying that though, I decided to go with a more decent question. "Cool. What's it called?"

"Konoha High," Haruki answered mechanically, like it was so obvious. "Uniforms and everything."

"Uniforms?" What the hell is up with that! Ugh, I hate the school all ready.

"Yeah." Haruki smirked. "Got any problem with that?"

"A few," I grumbled quietly, but to Haruki I smiled. "No. None at all." _I can't let her win._

Haruki rolled her eyes and threw a key at mom. "C'mon, Okaa-san, let's get moving."

XXX

"Nice car," I commented as we exited the airport and started driving home. "When'd you guys decide to buy yourself a Lexus?"

"It's mine." My sister said smugly as she drove. "It was my present from Otou-san when I turned sixteen."

"Ah," I said, looking out the window. Otou-san's favorite was always Haruki. When I turned sixteen, Okaa-san had called and asked what I wanted, but stupid me just declined a car. In boarding school, there was no need for cars and all that crap. I had bought myself an electronic scooter with the money Okaa-san gave me for that birthday.

With the silence filling the car, I eyed my sister as she focused on the road. Haruki had changed her outlook, which was definitely noticeable. Her hair was now a kind of dark chocolate-y color, with honey highlights. Her green eyes were covered with white-rimmed Oakley's and dark lenses. You could tell by the way her skin looked she put on heavy makeup occasionally. All in all, she looked like your average fashionable teen. Quite a transformation. Gag.

As Haruki pulled into the driveway, I sighed in relief. I would drag my stuff up the stairs and into my room, and after a quick snack fall right to sleep, hopefully. It was annoying to be jetlagged and drowsy from an hour on a plane.

"Home sweet home," Sasame murmured, opening the door. She offered to carry a bag, which i obliged with gratefulness. As WE trudged up the stairs of this house where I had not been for about two years was all coming back, memories, familiar and happy and hard and bad all came rushing back in to my head. The Victorian vase that sat directly under the staircase on marble ledges, the white bookcase that stood tall and proud with books dangling off from each corner, the way the kitchen smelt whenever Sasame was cooking chocolate surprise, the black leather couches and loveseat, still there, waiting silently to be claimed, and that small pink stain slightly behind the portrait that T. Hayes painted while we had vacationed in America, the second, pink cushioned house for Miss Kuddles Kat, Haruki's obese kitten.

I passed by her sister's room, and then the bathroom, and then the guest room, and then…

My room.

The area smelt plain and like Fabreeze. It was what to expect, after all since no one probably ever came in it besides to clean.

I lifted my bags onto the top shelf inside the closet and closed the door of it, smiling slightly. I remembered when I first painted the walls white, with the top and bottom pieces black. I jumped onto the bed, the wrinkles coming back. I stuffed my nose into the pillow, burying into the scent of lavender, slowly closing my eyes and succumbing into blissful peace.

My eyes opened slowly, ears anticipating the sounds of Sayuri's soft, gentle snores.

I heard nothing.

Panicky, I zipped straight up, searching around, trying to pull on the lamplight. My hand bumped into the digital clock, which was not supposed to be there but on…

Oh, ha.

_Right_.

Slowly, my body sank back under the covers, letting my heartbeat restart itself. I chuckled softly at how dumb I could be. What time was it anyway? I asked myself, bending down to look at the clock that lay pitiful on the floor. 1:32 a.m., everyone must be asleep by now.

"I'm home," I muttered wryly, trying to convince myself that it was true. "Home."

I twisted onto my side, listening to the sound of my quiet breathing. I lay like that for a few moments, and then heard the churn and rumbling of my stomach.

I was sooooo hungry.

Gingerly getting out of bed, I put on my robe and exited the room, lightly treading down the stairs into the kitchen, where I opened the refrigerator, examining all the food inside. There was a Tupperware thing-y at the very top, and I reached for it, looking inside.

O Em Gee.

_Mangoes!_

I sat myself on the counter, popping the sliced mango piece into my mouth. Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum…

_CRASH!_

"_You bastard! God, I don't even know why the hell I married you!"_

"_It was a mistake, Sasame."_

"_Yes, a freakin' mistake! God, why are you always so negative with Sakura?! What's so horrible about our daughter?"_

"_Sakura was not raised as she should have been. She was a complete disgrace and it the best idea to send her to Yasu. Sakura is a misled girl."_

"Sakura _is choosing to live her life the way she plans to, not by reading 'Daddy's List of Expectations' and following them out! She has her own mind and spine, something which _Haruki _lacks with you."_

"_Be quiet. I'm not having this discussion."_

"_But you _are!_ Itsuki, stop acting like a child." _

"_Sasame, I said for you to stop."_

"_No!"_

"Sasame_!" _

I closed her my, unwounded. I knew my parents played favorites with me and Haruki, and I definitely understood that Otou-san's favorite was never going to be me. My fingers fumbled for my iTouch in my pockets, inserting the earphones in my ears. I went to the playlist I had created a couple months ago called 'Peace', and listened to rock/metal songs, ones that drowned out my parents' loud screams. To me, that was peace.

XXX

_A small, twelve year old Haruki laughed as she threw the plastic play shovel at Sakura, giggling madly. It dropped when Sakura failed to catch it, but she laughed along anyway._

"_Sa-chan," Haruki called out excitedly. "Sa-chan, come here, come here!"_

_Sakura lightly skipped to where Haruki was, watching over her sister's pink head curiously. "What happened, Haru-chan?"_

"_Look at it. See the ladybug? Her wings are all whacked!" _

"_How do you know it's a girl?" Sakura huffed. "It could be a guy." _

"_No, it's a girl. It's a _lady_bug, –"_

"_Haruki." _

_Both girls looked up to see their father, looming tall before them. He was in his business suit and black tie, curt and formal. _

"_Come on. Were going." _

_Hesitantly, Haruki stood forward and started to follow their Otou-san, but then Haruki looked back at Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw her face change. She was older, her hair was brown and had grown more. Her face was full of scorn. _

"_What are you looking at, Sakura?" she demanded coldly, making her step farther away. She laughed. "You're pitiful. You can't even take Otou-san and Okaa-san's fights!" She smirked. "C'mon, Sakura, wake up from your fantasy. Our faults will _ ­

never_ be erased. We're screwed and I know it, so you should, too. Wake up. Wake up!" _

XXX

"Sakura, hon, c'mon, wake up! Wake up!"

I woke with a start and gasped, the earphones in my ear still loudly blasting music. I looked around. I was in the kitchen…??

"Oh, shit, Okaa-san, what the hell's the time?" I asked in horror. Sasame smiled lightly.

"Didn't know you slept here last night, you know? Good thing I came down here when I did." She lightly touched my ruffled hair. "Go get dressed into your uniform, okay? I put it in your bathroom. And it's six-forty-two. School starts at seven-fifteen."

"Shit!" I shrieked. I ran back up the doors and barged into the bathroom, looking around for the uniform. It hung on the bath rack. Sighing in relief, I stripped out of my pajamas and took a shower, letting the cool water run off my skin, and then quickly changed into the uniform. I twirled in it, frowning slightly. Okay seriously, why _red_? Everyone knows red and pink clash, and that's just not cool.

I was wearing a black and red skirt that – in my opinion – was way too short. _Skanky._ I tugged on it like, every few minutes, whirling my head back just to check if you could see my butt, and then tugged on it more. My white shirt – thank God – clung perfectly and didn't squeeze me. She adjusted the red tie perfectly and smiled. It was okay, given the circumstances. But…

I reached into my bag of accessories and pulled out a ruby-stoned choker.

_There,_ I thought to myself, perfectly satisfied. _This isn't really overdoing the red and pink thing _–

"What are you doing?" a voice demanded. Haruki watched with cold eyes as I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… getting ready for school?" I offered coyly. Haruki shook her head, huffing.

"Get _out of my bathroom_!" she shrieked, totally pissed. I shrugged, curtsying in front of her and obliging her demand.

"Of course, princess. I wouldn't wanna watch you piss on your royal throne or anything. I can't anyway, even if I wanted to. The coronation happened while I was away, so obviously, I'm not worthy. Aww, too bad." With a sly smirk, I closed the door behind my dearest twin, feeling totally on the upper hand. I could hear Haruki fuming on the other side of that door.

XXX

"Look." Haruki said flatly as she started the engine of the Lexus. "Let's get one thing straight, okay? At school, I am _not_ your sister. I don't know you, you don't know me. Got it?"

"Of course, You're Highness. That would explain why you're driving me to school." I replied, rolling my eyes and inserting the iTouch into my ears again. It was kind of my painkiller. Without it, I'd be dead. Music was my soothing therapy.

"I'm being very serious, Sakura. I have a reputation at school. I _am_ an important person. I mean, what if _Uchiha Sasuke_ saw me walking around with you around campus? God, that would be embarrassing."

I ignored her, assuming that Uchiha Sasuke was just some kind of boy she really liked. _Poor dude_, I thought, pitying him.

"Oh, yeah, and here's your stupid schedule." She said, throwing a piece of small paper at me. "If you don't know where your classes are too bad, okay? 'Cause I'm not helping you."

I remained quiet, deciding not to waste energy on her. She wasn't worth it, _seriously_. Instead, I pushed the paper inside my gray messenger bag, with all the other heavy textbooks I needed.

As they pulled in to the school parking lot, I began to reopen my eyes. Konoha High wasn't that big of deal. In fact, it looked fairly like Yasu Academy, except a _deal_ smaller. Like, way smaller. Haruki pulled into one of the back parking spaces, sighing.

"Sakura, get out." Complying swiftly, I did. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between us. So, I swung out of the car, slamming the door shut, and strode in quick paces towards the school.

"Hey, pinky, watch out!" a random person yelled. I stopped in my treks, frozen, looking around.

"What?"

_VREEERRRR!_

The sound was deafening and fearful. I was locked in place as I saw the incoming car speeding right towards me.

_I couldn't move._

"Holy fuc –"

Words died in my mouth, I squinted my eyes shut, praying. And then suddenly palms pushed my stomach roughly, a body collided with mine.

Like _ouch._

"Oomph!" we groaned. I landed on the sidewalk, my elbow scraped up against the hard cement. I rolled around until I could get in a position that wasn't awkward, and then, sluggishly, stood up. My head thudded softly, I hadn't hit it that hard, that dude's arm was in the way.

All around me, I think a frenzy was going on. People were cursing at the car driver, and then just gawking at me. Like, what the hell? I need your help not your stares.

"Crap," I croaked, rubbing the side where that guy had pushed me. My stomach felt freshly slapped, it hurt really bad, and that after sensation, the one that you get after you high-five someone really hard? Yeah, I felt that on my _stomach._ Then I looked at the guy who had saved me. He was still on the ground, curious eyes looking up at me.

"Hey, um… thanks," I murmured, smiling. He gave a small smile as well, taking my outreached hand.

"Yeah… don't –" he winced slightly, but then continued "–mention it. I'm Nara Shikamaru, if you wanted to know."

"Haruno Sakura." I replied. "New girl."

He watched me slightly, looking up at my hair. "Ah," he said. And I tried hard to ignore his curious staring.

"HOLY _FUCK!_ SHIKAMARU, IS THAT CHICK ALL RIGHT?!" a loud voice yelled.  
I whipped around to face an anxious blonde. He sprinted maniacally to see my face, just to check my condition. I eyed him with slight annoyance. I hated how loud his voice was. I also hated him because he _almost ran me over._

"Crap –pant–… sorry, lady. I didn't –pant–… catch you there." He offered a bright smile. "So, um… you okay?"

I nodded sharply. "Yeah, I survived, right?" And he smiled at me again, so I couldn't help but doing the same thing. I tried to cover up my bleeding elbow with the other hand. I sneaked a quick glance, it wasn't that bad. "That was a killer stop you tried to make there, though. What kind of car did you have?"

He gave a sheepish grin. "It's just this old crappy one. But it's a Toyota Corolla."

"Cool car." I stuck out my hand. "Haruno Sakura, by the way. Just think of me as the girl you almost killed."

The blonde boy's grin widened. "Uzumaki Naruto, the guy who almost killed you!"

"_What?_"

"Naruto, what did you do now?!"

"Freakin' dobe."

The threesome looked over to find three girls and two guys all ogling at them.

Naruto scratched his head, chuckling. "Ah… well, umm…"

"Long story short," Shikamaru said lazily, "the kid almost ran over Haruno Sakura here."

At that, the three girls glimpsed at me. A blonde tried to touch my hair… She had really pretty eyes though…

"I'm _so_ sorry! Naruto can be a bit of a…"

"Idiot." A girl with brown hair finished, grinning.

The blonde girl smiled. "Yes, an idiot! A _big_ one. By the way, I'm Yamanaka Ino, and these are my friends, Kita Tenten, Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji – they're cousins – and Uchiha Sasuke."

Tenten, the brown haired one who insulted Naruto, grinned. "Heya," she greeted.

And then I noticed Hinata, the girl who took it all in but didn't talk. She smiled shyly at me. "H-hello, Sakura-san."

Neji nodded curtly, but Sasuke just stared.

And then it clicked. _Ah, he's the guy Haruki's so madly in love with._ I observed his profile and shrugged. Well, he's hot but… he looks more emo than hot to me.

I waved. "Hey, I'm Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you." I cocked my head to the side for sec, seeing my sister gawping and glaring at me from the other side of the parking lot. I smirked; I knew what she was thinking. Then, mockingly, boldly, I decided to wave. "Hey sis," I called loudly enough for her to hear.

Haruki, flushed and furious, turned her head immediately, trying to get back into conversation with a cluster of girls that surrounded her. This gave me a satisfying laugh.

Ino eyed me curiously, gasping. "Sis? _Haruki_?"

I smirked. "Yeah. She's gonna get all pissed off that I told, but I don't think I really care. I'm Haruno Haruki's younger twin."

Sasuke smirked back at me, an unbelievably sexy one. I turned my head away from him quickly.

"Haruki has a twin… Unbelievable." Tenten murmured to herself. I cocked a brow.

"What's my sister like, anyway? I mean, I know she likes –" I pointed directly at the Uchiha, which caused his smirk to widen – "you. And I know how she acts around the house, but… what about school?"

"She's a bitch." Ino replied firmly. Ha.

"I-I-Ino-chan!" Hinata scolded, horrified. I laughed it off. "No, it's okay. Haruki _is_ one. I was just checking if the comparison was the same."

"Whoa," Naruto said, perplexed beyond reach of logic. "But… how come you just burst into the picture all of a sudden? And you have _pink_ hair. She has _brown._"

"Our natural hair color is pink, go take a look at our Okaa-san. Haruki wanted to fit in so she dyed it. And why I just suddenly came? I went to Yasu Academy over in Wind. It just appealed to me more than… normal school. I came back because my mother wanted me back here." I said swiftly and bluntly. Huh, I was a good liar when I wanted to be.

The bell began to ring first period, and Naruto invited me to walk alongside them.

"It's the least I could do, you know." He chuckled. "After, well… almost running over you."

I, on the other hand, was looking over at my schedule, eyes glued to the piece of paper. I was going to take advantage of these people and find out where all my classes were. Well, at least where my homeroom was.

"Naruto?" I asked. He turned to me, rapt in attention. "Uh, yeah?"

"Where's building B?"

The blonde scratched his head, thinking. "Building B…"

"We _are_ in Building B, Sakura," Tenten answered, pushing Naruto out of the way. "Don't ask him any of that. He won't know."

I giggled. "'Kay." I handed Tenten the schedule. "Please lead me to Kakashi-sensei's homeroom."

"Kakashi?" Shikamaru questioned. "I have that dude, too. He's a hell of troublesome."

"We _all_ have Kaka-sensei," Ino corrected, rolling her eyes. "God, Shikamaru."

Tenten wheeled around the corner, with me following short on her heels. "Just a little 411 for you, Sakura," Tenten said, pausing. "Kakashi-sensei's a bit of a… nut, compared to other teachers here. He's usually really late and pretty much doesn't deal with new kids so you basically can choose your seat anywhere like the rest of us."

"Okay," I nodded. "Cool, thanks." A slacker teacher. Awesome.

The gang entered the classroom, which was basically everyone sitting at their desks talking and conversing and playing around. Off to the very back of the classroom the seats were all vacant, and I found that pretty odd. I held back as the rest of um, well my newfound friends claimed the back seats.

_Ah, I get it, _I thought_, _amused_. I just made friends with the popular people._

Ino, the blonde, patted a desk in front of her. "Hey, Forehead girl, take this one!"

I smiled as I took my seat, but then frowned at the new nickname. "Ah, so now I'm Forehead girl?"

Ino smirked. "Hell yeah."

I liked her spunk. It was nice to know we had something in common. "Okay, then, if I'm Forehead, you're _pig_."

Ino's mouth twitched for a second, but then resumed its normal, sweet smile. "Whatever you say, Forehead."

I smirked. "Right back at ya, Piggy."

And for a moment, I thought that this could work. Maybe I would like it here. But then I looked up and saw the rest of the classroom, all eyes drawn towards me. And that feeling of belonging sunk in my chest.

A/N: Hey, Dax here! I edited the story, so ha! Way way way better now!!!! Please read and review!!!

**If I don't get reviews, I don't write… Make my day and please review, will you? :) **

Arigatou. :)


	2. Chapter 2: Where She Doesn't Belong

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Never. Never. Never.

Dark

Entrancing eyes

They

Surround me in a

Pool

Of secrets never told

Of

Hurts

Never explained

Of

Me, reflected off his

Dark

Entrancing eyes

She scribbled it furiously atop her notebook, and then, satisfied, laid it down. She looked up at the ceiling, at the lights. The bell.

Her eyes widened in realization. She scrambled to keep up with the hasty pace of students that swerved around her.

She had to go. Get to class. Now.

There was one that didn't dare step around her. The girl that blocked the writer's path had eyes hard and envious.

"You don't belong here." She spat, slapping down the poet's journal. There was this sad, tortured smile on her face as she spoke, replying softly, "You're right."

The poet veered left after that, where there was a small space for her to cut through. Astonished and shocked, the other looked through the crowd of students, all moving together to create this barrage where she couldn't follow.

(Sakura's POV)

**Chapter Two**

_Damn it. I almost let that get to me, _I thought to myself, biting my lip.

Some time ago, I had to part with my new friends because of the fact none of them had Physics with me. Which, if anyone cared, sucked. I failed to make any new friends, and not only that, but failed to make the brains appear. The Physics was just never my forte… or something like that. Believe it or not, I was more of an artsy-literature person. I excelled in that greatly.

Speaking of literature, I had that class with the so-called nut and my homeroom teacher, Kakashi…

"Hello, class, some of you may know me from last year, but if you don't, well, I think we'll have a good time this year. I'm Kakashi-sensei, and welcome to your Literature class."

"Kakashi-sensei, the porn-reader with the tardiness who teaches Literature," I commented, grinning.

"He's awesome despite his… desires" Tenten whispered, and then shuddered. "Last year, there was this rumor going on around campus that he hooked up with both Anko and Kurenai at the same time."

I sweat-dropped. "Er…okay…"

"Don't worry, though," she said, "Kakashi is all about Literature and stuff when he teaches us."

"So," Kakashi began, this mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Let's start out the year with a game."

_Thirty minutes later…_

"Name all the conjunctions in this sentence. 'Yuri and Hanako are cheering for the football team.'"

"Crap." Tenten and Naruto muttered under their breaths.

Kakashi's game was called Trash Basketball. Two teams consisting of two players on each team (in this case would be me and Tenten –er, sorry, Tenten and _I_, competing against Naruto and Sasuke) would compete against each other, and if they answered a question correctly before the other team, would be awarded five points, and if they made the scrap of paper into the trash after correctly answering, would be awarded ten more. After a round of five questions, the team with the most points would win a free getaway from homework today, and the other would be mercilessly handed five pages worth.

Sasuke and I raised our hands at about the same time. Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Hmm… tough call. Sasuke, I think I saw yours first."

I slowly dropped my hand, glaring at the ceiling. Damn it. Fangirls cheered him on as he answered it smoothly. "And and for."

"Damn it!" I grumbled again. I watched sourly as Sasuke shot the ball of paper effortlessly and slid into the bin as if it was meant to be there. That jerk-ish showoff. Tenten clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth, pissed.

"Thank you for playing, boys and girls. Tenten, Sakura, I believe you two have some homework to get to." Kakashi smiled, handing each of us a stack of work and a textbook. "Have fun."

Tenten groaned loudly, opening up the textbook with a hearty bang. "I take it back. Kakashi is _not_ awesome."

I growled when Sasuke passed me by, a smirk plastered to his face.

"What are you smirking at, Uchiha?" I snarled. He was smirking again. What the hell? Does he have an obsession with smirking or something? It was getting annoying.

He leaned close to me, his hot breath tickling my ear. "Your face." He whispered, before pulling back and exiting the classroom.

XXX

**SKETCHBOOK **

(a/n: okay, so this is basically Sakura's journal, which she writes in every time she's alone. When she first got it from her sister when they were little, she liked to draw what she was feeling. But then, that became more of a challenge, so she decided to just write it.)

School's pretty much as I though it would be.

Complete hell. 

I know. I know I don't belong here. Everyone's pretty much made that clear, that there's only ONE Haruno good enough for this school. And I don't stand a chance in Haruki's way because to them, Haruki's like their leader, the girl they turn to when they don't know how to fit in. The freakin' 'Queen Bee' of all these pathetic workers. Like this one girl, Mita Hana, she hated my guts the first time she saw my face in Chem. But I guess I could probably figure why (coughHaruki'sfollowercough). So, stories burn like wildfire here, and basically everyone knows that I'm Haruno Haruki's sister. Is that some kind of sin? Half the girls in my junior class hate me. Such a great start to a new school, right?

But then, there's some rebels, some people who are so against not being yourself, and just being who they are. This group, I easily fit in to.

So, here's a list of my some people who I've recently dubbed as decent. The guys that hate Haruki's face. Nara Shikamaru (the dude saved my life), Yamanaka Ino (she's kind of two-faced. One side of her really annoys me with the 'shopping and guys are like presents you should pick one and unwrap it' and then the other's 'I'm competitive and really blunt and like hell do I care', which I really like. Then there's this Uzumaki Naruto guy, who almost ran me over this morning, but it turns out the dude's pretty cool when you get to know him. He's so happy-go-lucky and funny. It's nice to have him around. He's pretty cute, too. The athletic and smart Hyuuga Neji, who's actually hooked up with Kita Tenten, who's like, him but a girl's version. Haha, nice couple. Hyuuga Hinata, Neji's cousin. She's so SHY she stutters and blushes. But what's seriously funny is when Naruto gets real close to her. It seems like she's gonna faint anytime soon, and Neji (the overprotective son of bitch that he is ((ok, jk, he's not that, but he can get really cocky easily)) glares these huge holes into Naruto's back.) Ah, and then there's the stoic teenaged hottie, Uchiha Sasuke. I'll admit, he's hot, and he's RIPPED, like a body to drool over, but he like... never talks or something. He's so impassive and acts like the world around him is screwed. But whatever, I'm not gonna waste a whole page on Uchiha Sasuke. 

As I walked to the parking lot slowly after a free period (Tenten and I –thank God– both had that together, so we headed towards the cafeteria's courtyard and crammed our heads together, working hard on our multiple pieces of hellwork from Kakashi. Hinata was free that period, too, and watched silently in amusement. Often times, when we were stumped dumb, she softly explained to us the right answer, 'cause it was never just give-answer-and-move-on with Hinata; she made sure that you understood why that answer was only plausible), waiting silently by Haruki's Lexus, I watched Naruto and Ino bound forward, hands waving for my attention.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, voice booming. "Some of us are gonna head out for some ramen. Wanna come?"

"It'll be fun," Ino promised.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Haruki advancing slowly, Mita Hana glued tightly to her side. And they were watching me, eyes narrowed.

"Maybe another time." I said, mustering a cheerful smile. "Today's not a great day to ask. I'm gonna be busy."

The grin Naruto wore dropped a bit, but he nodded. "Well, maybe next week, then."

"Yeah, okay." I agreed, turning away. Because now, all I really wanted was to be left alone.

XXX

The ride home was silent, heavy. I could tell by the way Haruki kept on missing the stoplights that she was angry, or high, possibly. But she was driving straight, so the latter was eliminated.

As we turned onto Hime Street, Haruki began talking. "Your friends…" she said slowly, eyes still on the road. "They… how – you've… talked to Uchiha Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes." My voice was concrete hard. What was so _special_ about Uchiha Sasuke? He was hot, but an extreme ass. Yeah, that was _so special_.

"Has he ever talked about me?" she asked.

Oh, this is great stuff! First off, sis, he didn't even _talk_, and if he did, it was a stupid, cocky-ass comment.

"No." I replied.

"And your friends…"

Again with the friends.

"How did they ever pick _you_ over _me_?"

She was dumb. And stupid. And getting on my nerves.

"Because I'm _not_ you."

"…"

Finally, peace.

But there were some consequences to my peace. In exchange, I had to endure a jerky ride, because obviously someone was PMSing the whole ride home. And then, when we came home, she hogged our bathroom, so I had to use the guest bathroom. And when I was studying for an algebra exam that she _knew_ about, Brittney Spear's 'Break the Ice' had _magically_ blasted from her room to mine, over and over again for a total amount of seven times. And when she was done with that, Chris Brown's 'Forever' played eight.

Nice to know I have a sister with such a lovely taste in music, right?

XXX

The next day was the same hell as the one before. Do you see a pattern?

I do.

It started when Haruki decided she was _still_ mad at me, so we had this… _heated debate_ in which it accidentally slipped out of my mouth that she was PMSing, so she _then_ decided that she wasn't giving me a ride to school! Like hell! So my Okaa-san let me drive her Civic to school instead. Thank God, I needed the space away from my sister.

The rest of the day proved to be progressing, though. And hopfully keep on progressing, but my mood was still killer.

XXX

Naruto slurped loudly. Okay, scratch that, he was practically inhaling his ramen. That was _so_ gross. When he finally noticed the stares people were giving him, he slurped before belching and finally asked, "What?"

Hinata, giggling, blushed and turned away, with Neji rolling his eyes and Sasuke murmuring a "dobe" under his breath, exasperated.

"Seriously, what did I do?" the blonde boy wailed.

Ino, smirking, laid back in her plastic chair. "Wanna tell him, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata squeaked, as if talking would kill her, and starting to turn a cute little pink. Tenten grinned, nudging her. She squeaked louder.

"A-a-ah, umm… Naruto-kun… they, th-they thin-think you're sl-slurp-slurping too loudly!" Her voice accidentally rose from all the stress we just put on her. Sasuke raised a slim brow. "What she means is, dobe, you're _inhaling_ your ramen and you need to stop."

Naruto's eyes widened in rage. "I can't believe you guys! Ramen is a gift, and if you guys don't appreciate it then… then go away!"

I don't think he meant for us to take his words literally, but at the moment I was so pissed off with everything that was all ready happening I didn't shoot them a second glance. I shot up from the table, threw my messenger bag over my shoulder and said, "I'm gone."

And then I guess everyone else followed suit.

XXX

(Normal POV)

Naruto seemed stumped, wondering how in the name that is all ramen could he lose all his friends in just a matter of minutes. Waving it off as just an odd day for everyone, he grinned at the only survivor at the table. "Hey, thanks Hinata-chan for staying and stuff, you know." He started digging in to his lunch again. "I mean, geez, either they all hate me right now or they're all obsessed with Sakura-chan. But I don't think Neji would be the type to obsess over her. But teme is another story. He probably does obsess, but he doesn't show it. That heartless guy doesn't know a thing about emotions, eh, Hinata-chan?"

And all the while Naruto talked about Sasuke oblivious to his feelings for the new girl, Hinata couldn't help but notice how this same man –talking about ignored emotions nonetheless! – could be so oblivious to her own.

XXX

(Sakura POV)

"Open your textbooks to Chapter Five Lesson Two. Questions one through forty-three, odd." Anko-sensei barked to the class. Unfortunately, she was the Algebra prep instructor, and because she was, I was going to hate her. Yes, yes I would.

Sasuke sighed lazily beside me, as he got out his book and started flipping pages, then, when he found the right one, did absolutely nothing, closing his eyes.

This guy, I promise you, was a freakin' lazy ass, not even doing his own assignment! Seriously! Neji, who was on the other side of him, heaved out a heavy breath and gave me a hopeless look. I shrugged back before reading through the passages. Okay, yada yada jibe jibe. Whatever. This stuff seriously hurt my brain. Especially the twenty-first question.

_Okay… Let's see… Ok, an architect builds a pool. He builds it in the shape of a heptagon( 7 sided polygon). The walls will be vertical and the pool will be 4 ft deep. The pool's perimeter will be 350 ft._

1) After it's built he will have to paint the inside of the pool. All 7 sides as well as the bottom. What's the surface area?

2) Then they will fill it with water. What's the volume of the filled pool?

3) If someone swims from one corner to the center of the of the opposite side, how far will it be? 

_... Fuck this! Only a freakin genius can solve this!! I'm not in college, Anko-sensei! Why are you doing this to me??_

A paper note landed smoothly on my desk, and I opened it quietly and quickly, trying to distract myself from my growing aggravation.

**Haruno,**

**What the fuck is the answer to question 19?? –Neji**

I smirked at myself, and then scribbled back an answer.

**Seriously? You're asking me? I'm honored to answer your question, Neji! X is 24.5. –Sakura Btw, when you get to question 21, mind telling me the answer??**

**Haruno, I seriously would tell you if I knew. But unfortunately, I don't. Answer to question 19 was very much appreciated, though. –Neji **

I groaned in heavy frustration. What the heck? Did _anybody_ know the answer to this?!

Sasuke's eyes opened. He glared at me as if I was the most despised thing in the world. "What are you pissed about?" he murmured. His voice, unlike his eyes, were calm.

"Just this question. It's really hard." I whispered back, rolling my eyes. Immediately his back straightened and he gazed at me, half curious. "Yeah? Which one?"

"Um, twenty-one." I answered, kind of shocked he was interested. His eyes scanned the problem, then, taking hold of his pencil, he sketched a pretty accurate pool, labeling every small detail in a matter of minutes, instructing me along the way. "If the perimeter's like, 350', each of the 7 sides is 50' long.  
"Draw a heptagon and draw lines to the center point. You'll see that you've just made 7 triangles. You'll need to know something about the 3 angles within the triangles.  
"Draw a small circle around the center of the pool; around the inner angles of each triangle. Those 7 inner angles must total 360 degrees, so each inner angle is 360/7 51 3/7 degrees, and since the other two angles of each triangle are both _equal_ and must add up to 180 degrees when added to the center angle, they must be 180 - 51.4 128.6 / 2 64.3 degrees. So now you have 7 triangles, with side angles of 64.3, 64.3, and 51.4 degrees.  
So now you have some seriously easy parts to work with: you have 7 triangular units, with a 50' base. The triangles have a depth of 4', are you with me?" He asked emotionlessly.

I nodded dumbly, trying to pretend I was, when really, I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. Sasuke just sighed as if he knew I didn't follow, and then continued. Dude, this guy was like, freaky-genius-smart for a bastard/pretty boy. Like, seriously smart because I couldn't understand a word. Either that or he was extremely, super stupid. But I kind of had a strong feeling it wasn't the latter.

"There." He concluded, handing me the paper. I nodded again, biting my lip as I checked out his answer.

I grinned as I rewrote everything he did. "Thanks." I said softly. His eyes were closed again, but he muttered a small, "Hn."

I scraped up the paper with the Uchiha's answer and threw it, the scrap softly thudding onto Neji's desk. He glanced at it, and then at me, eyes wide. And I just smiled, letting him sink in with the answers.

XXX

"Here, let's switch." Ino said, drawing out a small piece of scrap paper from her pocket while I did the same. Ino insisted on switching IM user names so we could talk online tonight. I scrawled my name onto the paper and slipped it across my Okaa-san's Civic, towards Ino. Ino took it and gave me hers.

I crumpled it into my bag not before memorizing the name.

_MizxxFlowErInox._

She smiled at me and flashed off the peace sign. "See ya tonight, Forehead!" I smiled, pulling the car door open and sliding inside. "Whatever you say, Pig." I answered, watching from my rearview mirror as she walked away.

XXX

_Sakura. Haruki. _

_I'm going to be working another shift tonight for a friend. I'll be home possibly at two. Your father will be home at eight. Call the pizza place for dinner, I honestly don't care. Please be good while I'm gone. _

_-Okaa-san_

Oh right. I totally forgot about how much time Okaa-san and Otou-san liked to spend as much time away from the house as possible, considering the fact that I'd been in boarding school for almost two years. I laughed bitterly to myself, chucking the door open to the fridge and getting myself some VitaminWater. That stuff was seriously addicting.

The front door slammed shut as Haruki entered, boots clicking through the tiled hallway entrance. She wasn't alone, I noticed, because she was laughing along with a deep voice.

"Shut up, Sai! My sister might –" she stopped, deadpanned at the sight of me gulping down VitaminWater like I've never seen Niagara Falls or something. Her expression was priceless it kept me drinking until I was completely satisfied with the strangled look on her face.

"Oh, hello." I greeted, smiling ever so nicely at the tall, cute guy. He smiled back, tentatively.

Haruki seemed boiling. "Sakura," she said with a strained smile. I noted from the tone I was getting that it was time to make my exit. I nodded at the two of them before walking the other way, out of the room and into the den, listening in on their conversation.

"_I'm so sorry about her, Sai. She has like, absolutely no manners."_

"_Whatever, it's cool. She's doesn't seem as bad as you say she is." _

Hahaha. That guy was pretty cute himself. Oh, well. Haruki would kill me if I ever walked two feet near him. Guess that was her new (gag) boy "toy" for the week. Sad.

"_Hey, do you have an IM account?" _

"_Oh, yeah. Want me to give it to you, Haruki?" _

Oh, right! That IM chat with Ino!

I turned off the TV in the den and ran up the stairs, practically flinging the door off its hinges in my haste.

When I said down and turned on my laptop, I sighed in relief, only knowing I was two minutes late for a meeting.

_**MizxxFlowErInox would like to add you as a buddy. Would you like to accept or decline this invitation?**_

Click.

_**MizxxFlowErInox is now added to your buddy/contact list.**_

MizxxFlowErInox: hey! u finally answered, thank u!

hsakura109: Yeah well, nice to see you, too.

MizxxFlowErInox: rite. well, im gonna invite ms.tenten ovr. is that ok?

hsakura109: Sure. That's fine.

_**MisTressW has entered the room.**_

hsakura109: Hey, Tenten. It's Sakura.

MisTressW: oh, hey sakura! what's up?

hsakura109: Nothing really. Avoiding my sister and her new "project buddy".

MizxxFlowErInox: uh oh. who's da new guy??

hsakura109: Uh, I think his name was Sai.

MisTressW: SAI?? Chyeah, that gaywad?

hsakura109: Uh, "gaywad", Tenten?

MizxxFlowErInox: sai's a hottie, but he like has only had 1 grlfriend or something

MisTressW: yup that's basically wats going around the school. i heard his girlfriend was ami. yeesh and gag.

hsakura109: Right… Unfortunately I know not many people's name in this school.

MisTressW: oh yeah, since you've only been here for two days! btw, im adding you as my buddy, sakura

hsakura109: Okay.

MisTressW: okay, now accept!

hsakura109: Okay, okay, accepting…

MizxxFlowErInox: brb shika is messaging

MisTressW: bring him ovr here!

hsakura109: Whoa, how many people have IM's, Tenten?

MisTressW: every 1 of us, sakura. we have to stay in touch you know.

hsakura109: Aren't you guys a tight group…

_**Nara has entered the room.**_

MizxxFlowErInox: geezzzz! finally!!

_**Nara has exited the room.**_

MizxxFlowErInox: y that lazy, bumming, heartless, LAZY son of a BISCUIT!!

hsakura109: Biscuit? Nice choice of words, Ino. Why did Shikamaru leave?

MizxFlowErInox: he didn't even wanna talk!! that lazyass!!

_**Nara has signed off. **_

MizxxFlowErInox: I'LL KILL HIM!!

_**Nara has signed on. **_

_**Nara has entered the room.**_

Nara: You do know that I can log off while actually seeing what you're writing about me, right Ino?

MizxxFlowErInox: …

Nara: Yeah. Well, laters. Oh, and Sakura, add me as a friend.

hsakura109: Will do.

_**Nara has signed off**_.

MisTressW: heh. that was weird. that boy needs to teach me how to hack into chatrooms!

MizxxFlowErInox: hmph

hsakura109: Can I talk to you guys later? I'm kinda hungry

MizxxFlowErInox: WAT? ur gonna ditch ur lurvely friends for FOOD?!

hsakura109: Huh. Seems that way, doesn't it, Pig?

MizxxFlowErInox: fine. but send my lurves and kisses to ur ass of a sistah!

MisTressW: just tell ur "sistah" she's a whore

hsakura109: Right... Well, see you guys at school.

_**hsakura109 has exited the room.**_

_**hsakura109 has signed off.**_

MisTressW: you know, i'm actually starving for some food myself.

MizxxFlowErInox: o no! u aren't leaving me either, girly!

_**MisTressW has exited the room. **_

_**MisTressW has signed off.**_

MizxxFlowErInox: Dammit! I DO _NOT_ DESERVE TO BE ALONE HERE!! DO YOU HEAR ME, SHIKA?! TALK TO ME NOW, YOU LAZY BISCUIT!!

I popped my head into the room carelessly, not concerned a shit about the two were doing in there. "Hey, I'm calling the pizza place? You guys want anything?"

Sai looked at Haruki curiously as they glanced up from their piles of paper. Huh. So they were doing a project. While Haruki shrugged, answering, "Whatever Sai wants."

I rolled my eyes, but diverted my attention to him. "What do you want, Sai?"

"Pepperoni, thanks." He answered, grateful for the food service. From his pale looks he seemed too polite to ask for any food at all and just decided to starve.

While I phoned the pizza place and waited patiently, I headed towards my father's office, leaning against the doorway as I tried to recall if anything different had appeared in the wake of my long absence. It wasn't like… I liked this place or anything. It just was the only place I've dodged since my homecoming.

Nope. Nothing I could spot. The room was still painted a pale beige, bookcases to the west and east walls. On the north was a set of sliding glass doors, the red curtains pulled so the sun shone clearly and brightly through. My Otou-san's desk didn't seem much of a change either. I guess like myself, he kept everything neat and organized, alphabetized about anything in the office, and put up anything proud like awards or certificates in places where anyone could see them. Or pictures.

I laggardly stepped closer into the office, rounding the desk to plunk myself on his armchair as my eyes scanned through the photographs. There were two. And as I regarded them, I didn't know how hard my heart sunk. It hurt. And I wanted it to go away.

The first picture was of when he was young. Still a man of eighteen, garbed in his black graduation toga as he smiled brightly into the camera, green eyes so similar and yet not really so beaming. He was clutching hard onto his degree, as if the world had suddenly just opened up – like a book – just for him, and he was going to take the world by storm, no one could stop him. Black unkempt hair was sticking out from under the hat.

Next was a picture of when Haruki and I were young, when we both went to the park. My mother had taken the picture, and I had _watched_.

Isn't it so pitiful when your father doesn't even give enough shit about you to put you into a picture? Isn't it horrible when your father holds the hand of your twin sister and takes a picture with a smile so carefree, holding her up as she laughs, so oblivious? And doesn't it hurt when you know that he'll never hold you like that? Never smile for you like that because he all ready had his baby girl to do it for?

Let me answer these.

Yes. It hurts.

But like hell I am ever going to give him the satisfaction of knowing it does. I will _never_ show him that. Because he all ready thinks so low of me.

"Sakura."

Oh. I'm so stupid I didn't realize it was eight.

I look up at him slowly, my eyes glazed over to that emotionless gaze. I masked my emotions perfectly as I stepped out of his chair and walked out the door, only stopping to say, "Hello. Otou-san."

-

**Dax** here!! Sorry for the long wait, I had this writer's block and couldn't figure out ANYTHING!! Anyways, there was a small, SUBTLE sasusaku moment there, but don't worry, we're getting somewhere!!

My next update will probably be on this story, as to the fact that I owe you guys a favor for updating Mission Haruno Sakura two times in a row before this one!! Again, SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!!

Hehe, I have this vibe that many of you absolutely hate Haruki's guts! **Chibi Strawberry Niko** has advised me to make Haruki move away, and I'm definitely considering something along the lines of that. But… she's a main, vital character right now, so for now she stays! Sorry!! I also want to say that all my reviews are absolutely wonderful, and I'm so happy!! My forever thank you's go to all my reviewers!!

Please REVIEW!! It gives me a lot of drive to keep writing, and if you have any spare time, check out Mission Haruno Sakura! Thank you again!! :


	3. Chapter 3: Determination's a Skill, Baby

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

This solitude

That breaks and sways

This solitude

That insists to I stay away

And yes, it hurts, doesn't it?

When you find yourself torn

By two sides

Staring aimlessly into the darkness, she found it hard to keep consciousness. The voices of laughter rang in her ears as she discerned all of it from downstairs. It was ironic how far she was from her family when she was actually so close to home now.

**Chapter Three**

Crowds of girls swarmed the main bulletin board that day, all cooing and awing at something I couldn't see. At the foot of the attention stood Tenten, Hinata, and Naruto, all talking quite excitedly.

I approached the threesome, refreshed and a bit energetic today from my dose of Starbucks coffee after the night I had yesterday. Couldn't really sleep. "Hey, what's with this?" I asked, motioning with my hands to the flock of giggling girls. Seriously. Sometimes these kind of girls had no dignity whatsoever. Don't they know they're staining women's reputations?

Naruto grinned. "The mixed swim team names!"

I cocked my head to the side, surprised. "All these girls tried out?"

"No. They're just perverts who like to see guys without shirts on while they sweat and swim." Tenten answered, smirking. "We're just here as moral support for Naruto."

"Really? You tried out, Naruto?" I asked with a small smile. Swimming took a lot of stability and energy, and I could picture Naruto swimming with a fast pace of competitiveness.

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yup! I make it every year, but Ino's gone in through the flock with Shikamaru just to make sure."

Just then, a blonde head and a sweating brown one popped through the crowd.

"HE DID IT!" Ino yelled, pumping her fist into the air. "But I survived the rabid creatures! So I DID IT, TOO!"

Naruto beamed happily, whooping loudly. "HELL YEAH, MAN! _HELL_ YEAH!" He jumped into the air, and then grabbed Hinata-chan and started to dance. Hinata blushed about three shades of red: Pinkish-red, plain red, and then crimson blood.

"N-N-N-Na-Naruto-kun!" she squeaked, embarrassed and elated. "Con-Congra-Congra-Congratulations!"

Naruto grinned madly at her, kissing her cheek. "Thank you, Hinata-chan! Woo-hoo!"

I smiled lightly at the sight of both of them, watching as Hinata's arms went limp in Naruto's, and how her eyes rolled back and Naruto's exuberant face transformed quickly to worry and concern. To be so close and comfortable like that with another person… it must have felt nice.

"HOLY CRAP!! QUICK, HINATA-CHAN JUST FAINTED! CALL AN AMBULANCE!!"

Sasuke – who appeared out of nowhere, thank you – rolled his eyes and bonked Naruto on the head. "She's fine, Naruto."

I guess saying "Naruto" instead of "dobe" meant in Sasuke language "congratulations of making the team, sport."

Ino, smiling and shaking her head, just said, "Here, Naruto. Put Hinata-chan on my back. I'll take her to the nurse's office."

Naruto did as told, settling the Hyuuga onto Ino's back. "I'll come with." I piped up, trailing behind Ino. Ino only nodded before zipping through the hallways.

XXX

(Regular POV)

Neji fisted a handful of Naruto's white collared uniform, pale Hyuuga eyes blazing furiously as he spoke calmly, though quite frankly frighteningly, "Where. Is. Hinata-sama?" Rather than the nice, "O EM GEE! NO FREAKIN' WAY?! YOU MADE THE SWIM TEAM?! NU-UH! NU_-UH!_"

Naruto gulped. He averted his eyes, trying not to stare back in to the deep abyss of the alarming eyes.

Sasuke smirked to himself. It seemed to amuse him how many people loved to pick on Naruto. Shikamaru just shook his head and went back to texting someone named Chouji or something.

"Where, Naruto?" Neji held up the blonde higher. But to tell the truth, the Uzumaki kid was all ready a slight centimeter taller than Neji, so it was kind of a hassle to raise him higher.

"She fainted! InoandSakuratookhertothenurse!" Neji's eyes turned into slits as Naruto softly thudded to the green grass, going "Ooomph!" A foot was placed firmly on his chest.

"Why did she faint, Naruto?" Neji seethed.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Sasuke drawled. Neji quickly turned towards him, head cocked. "I mean, seriously."

"I don't understand." Neji quipped, frowning. "Why would Hinata-sama faint? She doesn't have any epileptic I know of, nor any serious cases of allergies. Hiashi-sama would have informed me of any."

Shikamaru smirked, inserting his phone into his pocket. "Then maybe she's gotten bitten by the love-bug."

Neji's foot escaped from Naruto's pounding chest, staring wide-eyed at the two men. "The… love bug?" he echoed. Then, he looked down at a hyperventilating Naruto, and back up again.

_Hinata-sama likes… this idiot?_

Neji, like Hinata, would have fainted, too. But please. Neji had a reputation to uphold, an air of manliness to remain unscathed! He was not to faint!

XXX

_PPPPRRRRRRRRRT!_

My eyes were steadily on Naruto as his face grew serious, and then, quickly, he dived under, creating a smooth wave of ripples as his body slickly slid under the clear water's surface.

Immediately everyone produced loud roars.

I had to admit, even though I didn't really want to be here, with all these people, _socializing_, it was worth it seeing Naruto. He was just too talented.

The mixed swim team consisted of nine members. First and foremost – the best (okay, who _I _thought was the best) – Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Michi Matsurika, Takumo Sai, Yui Karin, Rock Lee, and um… well, the rest had names that were quite forgettable.

Because I forgot after the sixth one.

But that wasn't really the point. The point was that Naruto was so _amazing_ in the water. His legs pushed away from the tiled wall and he rebounded forward, swimming so fluidly and accurately.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata smiled, beaming happily as the blonde climbed out from the pool, first to finish his six laps, and shook his wet locks. Some girls squealed behind us, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes inwardly. Hormonal teenagers. _Seriously_. Naruto grabbed a towel from Gai-sensei, who coached the swim team. Gai patted Naruto on the back and started rambling off, while Naruto grinned and just ran off, crushing the poor dude. He ran over to us (what happened to the no-running in the pool area rule?) and exclaimed, "Was I good? Did you like it?"

"You were awesome, Naruto." Tenten said earnestly.

"Thanks, Tenten-chan!"

"Yeah, well, you beat everyone, so I guess you can call that good." Sasuke added, smirking. "Or maybe they all super suck, but you just suck."

Naruto grinned. "But you're atleast saying I'm better, aren't you, teme?"

He looked so… happy. Like he was finally in the right place or something. And I couldn't help but feel so glad for him. Sure, Naruto was an easy smile-er, but right now, it was like he was glowing. I wished I had so much an easy smile, just like him.

Sasuke's smirk was very faint, but he nodded. "Aa."

"Y-you were a-amazing, Naruto-kun." Hinata offered, mustering her best smile. Naruto slowly grinned, and his cheeks flushed for about half a second before they returned to its normal tan. He gave her a tight, squeezing hug, forgetting that he was still wet.

"Aw. That means so much, Hinata-chan!"

Neji, who seemed very quiet the whole meet, stood up from the bleachers abruptly, knocking Naruto off Hinata.

"Don't hug her." He said lowly. "You're wet."

Naruto looked down at himself, eyeing the crystalline droplets that ran down his body. He glanced at Neji briefly, slowly nodding in understanding. Hinata had taken a step back, stumbling back to her seat on the bleachers, Tenten wrapping her in an extra beach towel. She was red all over. She refused to look anyone in the eye.

Sai jogged over, this small smile plastered on his lips. A towel was thrown over one shoulder. He nodded at us in acknowledgement before turning to Naruto. "Gai blew his whistle," he said, "let's go."

"Right!" Naruto pumped his fist, throwing his towel on one of the beach chairs and taking his place by Karin and Sai.

The whistle blew.

Abruptly, the swimmers dove in, sure and immediate. And I couldn't help but notice… how they had all just jumped in, with no question or doubt. No fear painted across their faces, just sheer determination.

And the will to believe they could do it.

XXX

After the first practice, Naruto headed off to the showers before rejoining the group back in parking lot, next to the Hyuugas' car.

"We should have a party!" he suddenly boomed, grinning from ear to ear. Neji spoke instantly. "I'm absolutely not hosting another one of your alcoholic parties again."

"Aw c'mon, Neji! You have the SWEETEST pad out of all of us!" the blonde whined, pouting.

The Hyuuga's jaw was set tightly, and he held Hinata's wavering gaze, which told her to shut up before she did anything stupid. Hinata, abashed, lowered her head, mumbling incoherently to herself.

"So who's house?" Ino (of course another party addict) demanded. She turned to Shikamaru, who ignored her completely, instead had his chin up, gazing mindlessly into the clouds.

"Well?" she tapped her foot impatiently, eyebrows raised.

"Not me." I said quickly, shaking my head furiously. "I'll come, but you can't have any party at my house."

"Ditto here." Tenten added.

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Teme –?"

"No way." Like Neji, Sasuke had put his foot down, and the scowl on his lips meant his word.

"Well you guys can't have it at mine!" Naruto lamented. "Iruka's all ready on my back from Neji's party. I can't let him know anything. So really Sasuke, you're the only appropriate c –"

"I said _no_, dobe." Sasuke growled lowly, his eyes hooded and his bangs brushing them as he lowered his head. Naruto gulped. "Well, fine then…" he sighed. "I guess for now this party's postponed."

Neji nodded firmly. "Good. Then I guess we'll be going." He unlocked the car and started the engine, Hinata scrambling from her place beside Naruto to hurriedly get into the passenger seat. We all bid our goodbyes and then I started off to Okaa-san's Civic.

As I pulled into the driver's seat, I flipped on the radio, absentmindedly looking for a nice station. Finding one that suited my taste, I rolled up the windows and blasted the volume, letting the car soak in its music.

When I came home, I entered to see that the Victorian vase was shattered, the pieces stuck to the wall and littering the floor. I could hear shouts reverberating throughout the entire house.

Even after all the time I spent away from home, I knew this drill by heart. Running up the stairs I flung the door to my room open and dropped my bag to floor. Like the radio in the car, I did the same thing here, blasting the volume and allowing the music to flow all around me. The music drowned out the shrieking shrills and the piercing, smashing, and breaking.

I let out a breath and calmly (as in my best attempt at calm) walked back over to my bag, digging around until I found my journal.

Kaa-san and Otou-san are fighting again. In my room.

Just really wanted to say that today was… different. Naruto, though seemingly very dumb, is a great athlete. He's in the swim team, and he's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He's so comfortable with it and… well, I guess it kind of makes me jealous. I wish… I wish I could be as easygoing as him.

There was a loud knock on my door. Jittery, I snapped my notebook shut and slid it inside my desk drawer. With my remote, I lowered the music to a quiet hum. The door burst open, permitting me to see my mother, flushed and frustrated as she stepped inside.

"You're attending your otou-san's dinner gala on Wednesday," she said stonily. "It would be best if you wear something formal."

As she leaves, I whirl back around to my desk, spinning the pen around my fingers.

"Huh. A gala."

In all my sixteen years, I had never been to a dinner gala, less anything _formal_. That meant that I had to like, wear a dress… right?

XXX

"Sakura!" Haruki called, knocking on my door. Puzzled, I opened it slowly, jamming my foot between the door so only she could see my face.

"Yeah…?" I asked gradually.

"Your friend's downstairs." She said shortly, walking away with a sniff.

"Right…" I mutter to myself, looking down. I was only wearing a white tank with basketball shorts. I had to cover up. Rummaging through my closest, I grabbed the closest jacket I had and zipped it halfway. And then I ran down.

Ino was sitting in the hallway bench, twirling her bag absently as she stared up the ceiling.

"Hey," I greeted, waving my hand once.

Her head turned towards me, and once she saw me she grinned. "Oh, hey! I thought you were Haruki again."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. Well, ready to go?"

Ino nodded vigorously, a mischievous grin on her face. "I've been ready my whole life, baby."

And this, sadly, is how I spent my Saturday afternoon.

"So like, this place has the best…"

Okay, FYI, if you're ever going to Konoha High, never, _NEVER_ ask Yamanaka Ino (fashion QUEEN) help in finding a _dress_. Also, never allow her to drag you to the busiest, biggest mall in town. You'll end up getting run over by the teeming people.

Ino's vice-like grip on my hand yanked me forward, making me stumble. The blonde sighed heavily, tiredly, like I was a little girl in care of an old woman.

"Watch where you're going," she said sharply, "you almost ran over that kid." She jerked her thumb behind her, directing me to the sight of a babyish little girl, green eyes wide and lips so red. She smiled tentatively at us before letting her mother take her hand and lead her away.

"Ino, let's take a break, okay?" I asked breathlessly, taking a sip of my bottled water. She paused for a moment, thinking. "Fine. But five minutes. We have to buy that dress,"

When Ino wants something, she _wants_ it. And obviously it's my job to stay well out of her way.

I had refused most of the dresses Ino had presented to me because they weren't really my style. I wanted something long and presentable. Ino however, was contrary to it. She preferred something short and mid-length, probably with some showing cleavage. It was… weird. I felt exposed in it. Like I was totally naked. Ino called it sexy but I had another word for it.

_Slutty_.

Ino stood up abruptly from the bench, snapping her fingers. "I got it!" she exclaimed. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before." She grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me forward.

"Ino!" I jerked back tiredly. "Where are we going? The mall's _that_ way." I pointed towards the boutiques we were leaving.

Ino grinned. "We're leaving, Forehead. Since you won't agree with _anything_ I pick out –" she pulled out of cell, " –it's time to call the professional."

XXX

We pulled into a gated community, Ino cruising around leisurely by a very huge house.

"Where are we?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

Ino flashed a grin. "Trust me on this, okay?"

I sighed and eased back into my seat, relenting.

She finally pulled over and keyed off the engine, slamming her door loudly as she got out. I sluggishly followed suit.

We trudged up a long walk surrounded with botany. And when we finally got to the door, Ino thumped loudly on the platinum knocker, tapping her foot as we waited.

"Ino, why are we –?"

"Yamanaka? Haruno? What is it?" I glanced up, my piqed sentence rolling away as my eyes widened, coming face to face with Sai's. It seemed he was just as surprised as I was.

"Hey, Sai. Your mom home?" Ino spoke casually, sporting a small smile. The door wedged open just a bit more as he carefully threw a look over his shoulder. "Yeah." He said. "In the kitchen." He stepped back. "Just wait a second, please."

He left the door as it was, traveling back inside, the distance of his voice echoing back to the two girls as he called out, "Kaa-san?"

I swiveled around to Ino. "You led us to _Sai's _ house?!"

She giggled. "Genius, right?"

"Not really." I said, deadpanned.

She shook her head. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura. Sai's mother is a _fantastic_ designer. She'll help us since – well, she owes my mother a favor."

The door swung back open, and in sight came a woman in her mid-forties, long black hair tied back, with some of her bangs framing her delicate face. Her eyes were an ivory-green color, and she was wearing a long, flowy forest-green gown, gold bangles clanging loudly on her right wrist.

"Yamanaka-san," she pulled a smile from her lips blankly, shaking her hand. "Such a surprise to see you here with… ah?"

"Haruno Sakura," I offered, taking her hand into a gentle shake.

"Pleasure. I'm Kanon." She replied, nodding. "And how may I help you two?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you have some time for business?" Ino asked easily, sliding through the door without any consent. Kanon opened the door wider, stepping aside to let me in as well.

"Up the stairs," she instructed to a leading Ino, who had effortlessly taken off her shoes and clambered up. "Up again." Kanon stated when Ino stopped on the second floor. When we finally reached the last floor, it was smaller than the rest. The walls were painted all different colors. White, pastel purple, dark green, and light blue. There was a sewing machine at one corner between the purple and green wall, and on the others were mirrors. At the white wall, there were about three different doors, all with lights peeping from under them. Kanon took a seat on a black loveseat and gestured to the three yellow poufs.

"Okay, let's talk." She said, crossing her legs. "What're we talking about here?"

"We're talking a formal dress for Sakura here. It has to be done in three days."

"Three days?" she echoed, this time with surprise in her voice. "That's impossible! Even if we started now, I wouldn't be able to get it done by Tuesday."

"Even if we took her measurements and sketch out what she'd like? Two days isn't enough?" Ino asked pointedly.

"No."

"But –"

"It's not." She said evenly. "I can't help you, I'm afraid."

We were all quiet for a moment, Ino and I soaking in the information.

"Well," I piped up, shifting my glance towards the designer. "How much will it take? If we… gave you money?"

Kanon's eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"

"Money," I repeated heavily. "What if I gave you three hundred dollars more in the overall pay?"

"Money," she said, "will not –"

"Please," Ino started. "We all know that –"

"Five hundred." I said quietly.

Sai's mother's eyes widened, her mouth open. She cleared her throat. "Will you – do you even _have_ that kind of money on you?"

I nodded.

Relaxing back into her seat, Konan sighed and nodded firmly. She motioned with her fingers for me to stand.

"We'll have to start right away," she insisted sharply. "We'll start with your size. Do you know it?"

"I'm a four." I replied easily. She mumbled something under her breath, collecting a small clipboard from the side of the loveseat and scribbling on it. "Okay, okay. Bust size?"

"Twenty-four C."

Konan stopped writing, eyeing Sakura. "Let's get into detail. What's the dress to look like?"

After about two hours of bickering and measuring and sketching and sewing and bleeding, they were free to go. Ino, as pleased as ever, leading me off back downstairs, hummed victoriously, swinging the keys to her car around her finger.

"So, we'll come back on Tuesday for the fitting, and on Wednesday everything will be perfect for your parent's gala! Ne?" Ino over the plan, smiling.

I nodded, giving her a small smile of my own. After spending two hours there, I was just about happy I was still _alive_.

As Ino started the engine, she cocked her head, a small frown on her face. "Hey, Forehead,"

"Hey, Pig," I mimicked, rolling my eyes, which, seriously, had started to become a habit these days.

She ignored me, sipping her water. "Let's go get something to eat."

XXX

Ino and I ended up at Skeffington, that fancy French restaurant across the street from Sai's house. She insisted, since well, I was going to pay for myself. As we waited at the podium for someone to take us to our seats, Ino gasped.

"What?" I asked.

She ducked, pulling me down with her so we were crouched right in front of the wooden podium.

"Ow!" I hissed, jerking my arm and rubbing it tenderly. "Warning, much?"

"Shhh!" she put a finger to her lips, frowning. "What is – what is _Shikamaru_ doing here?"

"Same thing as you and me, obviously." I retorted sarcastically. "_Eating_."

"No! Look!" She turned my head inelegantly; I could hear a _crack_, dammit! "See? He's at that booth! What is he doing at that booth?!"

"Sitting," I grumbled. Seriously, this was getting out of hand. I brushed myself as I stood against Ino's will. She harrumphed, still crouched.

"He wouldn't be here," she murmured darkly. "He would think it would be too troublesome. He wouldn't be here unless he was eating with his family."

"Maybe he's waiting for them." I offered mildly.

"Hello," a young woman smiled at us. "How many?"

I was about to answer with two, but Ino beat me to it. "Um, yes, we're with the Nara party." She smiled, and I twitched.

"Oh, the gentleman over there," the waitress nodded, understanding. "Sure, let me lead you to him."

As we walked, I could see the victorious grin on her face. I nudged her, annoyed. "I can't believe you, Ino. We're going to ruin his day. And how did you know he'd make a reservation?"

She scoffed. "Please, I've known that guy since the day I was born. He makes reservations 'cause it's too _troublesome_ to wait."

I shook my head, and as we wheeled near his booth, he looked up, eyes wide with revelation.

Ino slid casually into the booth, throwing Shikamaru a smile. "Hey Shika!" Unlike Ino, I was very hesitant, sitting at the edge of the seat, ready to ditch at any moment.

The waitress, Kasumi, handed Ino and I are menus and left.

"So, Shika!" Ino chirped offhandedly. "What are you getting?"

"Why are you two in my booth?" he asked, lazy but still very sharp.

Ino raised her brow. "What? A girl can't spend some quality time with her buds?"

"Not unexpectedly."

I was edging farther and father away, my leg dangling off the seat. Ino was moving closer towards the table, towards Shikamaru.

"Are you here alone?"

He sighed. "I'm meeting a friend."

Kasumi came back with our drinks, placing them in front of us. "Are you all ready to order?"

"No," Shikamaru said lazily. The waitress nodded and left again.

"So, who's the friend we're meeting?"

Uh oh, here it comes. I drank my iced tea like it was the only thing keeping me alive. I stared at the ice flowing through the liquid, dancing around with my straw.

"Ino, why are you being so annoying?"

"I just want to meet him! If it _is_ a him. It is, right?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily, and I could feel his eyes on me, searching for mine, pleading for my help. Heh, sorry, bub, I'm _so_ not choosing any sides.

When he finally gave up on me, he began to gulp down his water. "Yes, Ino, it's Chouji."

Her nose wrinkled. "Who's that?"

"A friend."

"Ino," I said, high time I stepped in, "Shikamaru obviously doesn't need us around. Let's go find our own table." I nudged her ribs. "Or maybe get the hell out of here?"

The blonde pursed her lips, contemplating. She heaved out a heavy breath. "Fine." She grumbled dejectedly. "See you, Shikamaru."

I decided that we were _not_ staying there, so I chucked the keys from Ino's back pocket and drove over to Frenchie's Burgers, a small fast food restaurant where we ate our cheeseburgers and drank off milkshakes.

"Ino?" I asked as she chewed on French fry.

"Yeah, Forehead?"

"If you like Shikamaru, why don't you tell him?"

She blushed, swinging a fry at my head. "I do NOT!" she opposed.

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah, you do. Why don't you come clean?"

She turned her head, looking outside the window at the sky, at the gray linings of fluffed clouds. The expression that came across her face was yearning. Did she really like him _that_ much? "Because," she said softly, "I've known him too long to know that he doesn't like me back."

"He doesn't." I repeated.

"Yeah."

"And how would you know that?"

"I don't really… well, I can just feel it, you know? When a guy falls asleep on you when you're trying to tell him something important, doesn't it feel like he doesn't really care?"

She had a point there.

You can't always get what you want.

XXX

_**TheRamenIsREAL would like to add you as a buddy. Would you like to accept or decline this invitation?**_

Click.

_**TheRamenIsREAL is now added to your buddy/contact list.**_

TheRamenIsREAL: HEY, SAKURA-CHAN! WHAT'S UP?

hsakura109: Erm… hi, Naruto.

TheRamenIsREAL: howd u no it was me?

hsakura109: …wow, I'm going to ignore that and go on to a different subject. So, um… kind of concerned here to how you found me.

TheRamenIsREAL: tenten

hsakura109: Huh. Okay, then.

TheRamenIsREAL: soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

hsakura109: So yourself.

TheRamenIsREAL: y wood i do that?

hsakura109: Just shut up, Naruto.

TheRamenIsREAL: look i found someone whod host the party

hsakura109: Really? Who?

TheRamenIsREAL: NOT TELLING! HAH, I'M A GENIUS, RIGHT?

hsakura109: Well how am I supposed to get to it?

TheRamenIsREAL: …o yea…well, ill give u the address, h/o

hsakura109: Okay.

TheRamenIsREAL: Okay, HERE. 0912 KAEDE LANE. NOW I GOT TO GO, I'LL C U AT THE PARTY TOMORROW AT NINE. BYE, SAKURA-CHAN

hsakura109: Okay, bye.

_**TheRamenIsREAL has exited the room.**_

_**TheRamenIsREAL has signed off.**_

hsakura109: Wait! No, come back! This isn't it! This is, isn't this ARGH! NEVERMIND THEN! IGNORE ME!! BUT I THINK YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG ADDRESS, NARUTO!!

_**hsakura109 has exited the room. **_

_**hsakura109 has signed off.**_

-

-insert cool news music-

**Shikamaru**: You have reached the end of the chapter. (says this unenthusiastically) Woo.

**Ino** (bubbly and loud): Thank you for reading! We do appreciate it! Right, Shika-kun? (Nudges the newscaster who has now fallen asleep on her shoulder)

**Shikamaru**: Huh? Oh… yeah…

**Ino**: And now to Itachi-san, live with the author!

-insert new scene: A room, painted red and accents black. Sitting at the foot of the window is a bed and on the bed is DarkxBlossom, aka Dax, with Itachi next to her-

**Itachi**: Hello. I am here with Dax, author of this story and Mission Haruno Sakura.

**Dax**: Um, Itachi-kun, I'm kind of flattered that you broke in through the front door and all but you know you'll have to pay for the damages, right?

**Itachi** (hissing under his breath): Not right now!

**Dax**: Er… okay?

**Itachi**: So, Dax, tell us about yourself.

**Dax** (sarcastically): Let's see, I was right in the middle of my nap when you barged through with Naruto-kun and Sai-kun. By the way, what are they _doing_ in my living room? I hear loud music. Wait… ARE THEY PLAYING GUITAR HERO THAT _I_ BOUGHT?!

**Itachi** (trying to calm the young author down): Now, now, Dax, let's not get too hasty.

(Dax flings the door open and stomps her way down to the living room where she finds Sai kicking Naruto's butt in Guitar Hero)

**Naruto**: What the hell?! How – do – you – do –the – WHAMMY?!

**Sai** (who is currently rocking hard with Star Power): As an artist, it's important that everything is precise with your hands. It's exactly the same in this game, Naruto-kun.

(Dax and Itachi fling themselves onto the couch and loveseat, watching with amusement when Sai gives Naruto the lefty)

**Naruto**: GAH! THAT'S IT! FUCK THIS GAME!!

**Sai** (smirking indignantly): Wanna have a try, Itachi-kun?

-Insert scene with newscasters Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru-

**Ino**: Uhh… that's… unusual.

(Shikamaru sleeping and snoring soundly on the desk, a little drool coming out of his mouth)

(Ino laughs nervously and jabs the lazy guy hard in the ribs)

**Shikamaru**: OW!!

**Ino** (her smile is straining): Let's say goodbye, Shikamaru!

**Shikamaru** (staring at her, scared): Bye!

-Insert scene back with Uzumaki Naruto, DarkxBlossom, Sai, and Uchiha Itachi-

(Sai is currently beating the hell out of Itachi)

(Naruto is rolling around on the ground, laughing hysterically, forgetting that only moments ago the same thing was happening to him)

(DarkxBlossom is staring weirdly at everything)

**Itachi** (who is struggling to lift up the guitar for Star Power, eyes glued and focused on the game): Please – review – for – the – story.

**Sai** (smirking and playing easily and fluidly): Yeah. And also check out Mission Haruno Sakura if you haven't all ready done so.

**DarkxBlossom**: Right! Reviews drive me to write even more so and faster!!

_**DARKXBLOSSOM'S NEW CONTEST!**_

Be the first person to correctly guess who Haruki's new boy "toy" will be for the next couple of days and you will win yourself the _next chapter of Here I Am, This Is Me before everyone else!_ Your **PENNAME** will also be used as an IM user name in the story for the next chapter!! Woohoo!

**NOW. FOR THE QUESTION:** Who is Haruki's new boy "toy"?

Inuzuka Kiba

Sabaku no Kankuro

Aburame Shino

**GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE YOU GUESS CORRECTLY IN YOUR REVIEW!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Sakura's Closed Door

Sometimes,

There are just these

_People_

You seriously want to

Kill

And the murder and

Blood on your hands

Will just fade away,

No sense of

Guilty afterthought

Brought upon you

**Chapter Four**

What.

The.

_Hell_.

Haruki has just come through the door.

So Naruto was right. The address was correct. Haruki was hosting the alcoholic, illegal party, and I was going along.

My life has just been shortened.

XXX

"What's this?" I asked, my hands flittering to the crates that these bulky men carry into the house. Haruki supervised the men as they passed, nodding in approval as to where they set it.

"Alcohol." She answered shortly, like I was too dumb to figure that out myself.

"I see that," I said slowly, "but why are you having it shipped?"

"Party tonight." She said, scoffing. "What, were you too stupid to figure _that_ out, too?"

"Nooo."

"Well thank God. Take this, will you?" She throws a rag into my arms, walking off. "Go into the basement and clean up the bar."

"We don't have a bar." I said bluntly. _Who's stupid now?_

She stopped walking. "Yeah, we do. Otou-san recreated the third room."

XXX

Well, what do you know? As I walked down the stairs into the blackness of the basement, I flipped the switch for the lights on and studied it.

The basement, as far as I can remember, had always been spacious. Spacious enough that my mother had turned it into two separate rooms. Both had been carpeted and set for as guestrooms. But as I walked in to guestroom number one, I found that it was smaller now, a door to the right planted where a door had never been before. I turned the knob open, letting myself inside a dank, smelling of beer and booze room.

In the light, the room was a mess. You could tell that it had been used many times before. The scope was modern, decorated with light red walls. The island was tiled with red and white checkered squares, and the stools were cushioned with black pillows.

Behind the island bar was a huge steel bucket set on a white counter. The bucket was filled with melting shaved ice and twenty different kinds of brand beer. There was a steel refrigerator, probably filled with more booze and food, and bottles littered the floor and surrounding tables. There were glasses hanging delicately from the cabinets.

I turned to the surround sound DJ at the corner, turning on the music as I sighed and worked, bringing the broom out and sweeping the bottles that littered the floor, careful not to step on anything sharp. I dumped everything into the trash behind the bar when I was done and then started to clean up the islands, ridding of any stains in my way.

When I was done, my piss mode had wavered into a _slight_ piss mode. Totally big difference.

Oh, and guess what?

I was all going to take it out on Naruto.

XXX

In about two hours, alcoholics and players and posers and cool kids and skanks will all be joining in my house. WTF?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Oh my freakin gators I am so freakin angry!!! And the worst part is, Haruki won't even get in trouble for it. Okaa-san's working a late shift again, and who knows where Otou-san goes??? 

___Such responsible parents… right??????_______________________________

___HA. WHATEVER.______________________________________________

___Oh, and this is something new I'd like to try. It's called the STRESS METER. Here's everything I'm currently stressed about.__________________

___Number Uno: The dinner gala I'm supposed to attend. What if Sai's mom doesn't make the dress in time??? What if the dress isn't _good enough_?________

___Number Dos: This alcoholic party. Like, _duh.__________________________

___Number Tres (is that even how you spell three in Spanish???): Sayuri isn't answering her phone! HEY SAYURI. YEAH, YOU OVER THERE IN YASU ACADEMY, PICK UP YOUR PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!______________

___Number Four: Heyyy, looky here! I NEED A BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

___Wow. That just like, totally burst out. I mean, I'm not _desperate_, but after seeing Haruki with atleast five guys in ONE WEEK, she's not the only one who can catch guys in this town!!!!!!___________________________________

XXX

_**hsakura109 has logged on. **_

_**hsakura109 has entered the room.**_

yuri: sakura, hey! long time no see!!! how's Konoha???

hsakura109: Sayuri! omg I'm so glad to talk to you!!!!! Konoha's….okay, I guess. any news from yasu academy??

yuri: nothing interesting… well, some

hsakura109: oh yeah?? spill Sayuri!!!

yuri: got a new roommate

hsakura109: who is she?

yuri: this girl. aya. she's actually pretty cool.

hskaura109: cooler than meeeeeee?

yuri: hah, maybe. she's only been here for a week.

hsakura109: so where is she right now?

yuri: ehh, I think at the east library or something.

yuri: OMG, SHE'S ON RIGHT NOW. DUDE, YOU CAN SOOO MEET HER BRB!!!

hsakura109: send her in

_**irish-piano-fingers has entered the room.**_

hsakura109: hey aya

irish-piano-fingers: hi. sakura, right?

hsakura109: Yeah.

yuri: so so so, you all acquainted??

hsakura109: yeah I guess

irish-piano-fingers:…well, this has been fairly awkward….

hsakura109: haha, tell me about it. how do u like yasu?

irish-piano-fingers: it's good so far, I can't really complain with too much

yuri: u know u loooooove it aya!!!!

hsakura109: you have to. it's like, a rule to love the academy

irish-piano-fingers: okay! I love it. haha, happy?

yuri: totally

hsakura109: well, it was really nice meeting you aya, and talking to u Sayuri, but I have to go…

yuri: oh fudge. just remember to sign back in later kk, girly?

irish-piano-fingers: yeah. bye sakura. and it was nice to talk to u too.

hsakura109: laters.

XXX

The blue and white probe lights flashed around the room, the music loud and trashy. Sweating bodies swung together, grinding against each other, touching intimately. I avoided as much physical contact as possible, shouldering anyone who dared look at me with groping hands.

Haruki seemed all too pleased with the party, smiling seductively at Inuzuka Kiba from the swim team. He only grinned at her, running his hands through his hair as he moved away from her, excusing himself to go get some of the punch that Ino and Naruto had spiked thirty minutes earlier. I hadn't seen Naruto much, only in glimpses from across the room. He seemed to needle his way through the crowd, and I decided that I would just give him what he deserved later.

What annoyed me most though, was the lack of friends that were here. Sasuke was nowhere to be found (not like he was really party material, anyway), Shikamaru probably wouldn't even be _attending_, and Hinata and Neji would be late because Neji had to drive her to an appointment. What _also_ annoyed me was the hand that was gripping my shoulder.

I swirled around reflexively, glaring.

A man in a brown leather jacket and white skinny jeans smiled at me, baring his extremely white teeth. "Hey, baby,"

I rolled my shoulder back, shaking his arm off. "Do I know you?" Under my breath, but still loud enough for him to hear, I muttered, "Bastard."

He ignored my obscenities, taking a bold step near my hip. "Let's dance." He murmured lowly, the smell of bitter wine lingering in his words. I flinched away, blinking as I turned on my heel. Arrogant bastard.

He wasn't following. He was too drunk to even walk a straight line. Instead, the man plopped onto the ground, crawling through the mass of bodies just to get out.

Then, I felt _another_ hand on my shoulder.

_That's it,_ I thought as I shot my arm up, slapping it away with full force. The hand retreated.

"What's your _problem_?" he hissed angrily.

I turned, watching as Sasuke glowered darkly at me, his pale hand gone red from my touch.

"Oh." I said, blinking. "Sorry." Sasuke bit back his retort, jerking his head stubbornly to the side. "Whatever," he grumbled, shaking his head and shoving his fist into the pockets of his leather jacket. His eyes wandered around the bar, his chin tipped up to the ceiling. His lips quirked. "Nice party."

I sighed. "It's horrible." He started walking, fast paced but slow enough I could follow behind. My heels clicked through the dance floor.

Sasuke stopped at the edge of the island, propping his elbow up against it and leaning back. He stared at me coolly.

"Any drinks?" I asked politely, walking around him towards the fridge. He turned, nodding. "Aa. White wine."

Opening the fridge, I glanced inside, skimming through the racks to find his chosen beverage.

"Here," I lightly slid the bottle over to him, which he swiftly stopped with his elbow. He muttered a quiet "Aa." which I took as a token of his appreciation of my awesome manners.

And then I left, like, ten minutes later.

It wasn't like I didn't _know_ Sasuke was much of conversationalist or anything, but the guy could've atleast gave me enough decency to _listen. _Plus, there were girls swarming him the minute I opened my mouth.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!"

"Want to dance, Sasuke-kun?"

Ugh. Gag me.

"BOO!"

I jumped. The hairs on the back of my neck totally sprang out. When I turned around, I saw Naruto behind me, one hand on my shoulder (what is it with people and hands on shoulders???), and the other one cupped around his plastic cup, spilling over with spiked punch.

"Idiot!" I yelled, my voice loud and rigid over the music. "What's wrong with you?"

He was laughing hard, and his face was red. I think he was choking at the same time, because he kept on making this mangled noise while inhaling. It was really disturbing.

He was _drunk_.

Uncool.

"Heyyy, Sa-Sa –" He stopped abruptly, getting this funny look on his face. "Heyyy, Sa-Ku-Ra! Sa… SOCK! HAHAHAHA!!!!! SOCK RA!!!! Ra, ra, ra, ra! RAWR!!!!!"

I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes. "Jerk." I muttered under my breath. Naruto was sure to get it. I rammed my shoulder onto his with force, and he stumbled backwards, tumbling into someone else.

"Shit, dobe."

Naruto had stumbled into _Sasuke_.

Sasuke sighed, disgusted, and then eyed Naruto with fierce, narrowed eyes. He looked him up and down, shaking his head, and then stared at me.

"Trashed," he murmured, and even through the thunderous techno, I could still hear his voice perfectly in tone.

I nodded my head, and I saw Sasuke smirk. He strolled away after a few seconds, and left me standing there with Naruto, who was attempting to rid the beer stain on his gray shirt. His blue eyes were unfocused and crossed.

"Heyy," Haruki came into view. I hadn't seen her yet, but when my eyes locked on her attire, I nearly fell down with laughter, and all my anger had dissolved into the humor.

_Hoooooooker._

She was wearing a tight black leather skirt and fleecy, papery thin white camisole, black and green and white bangles all bouncing giddily on her dainty right wrist. Her light brown locks were held up high in a ponytail, wet from the shower and hard from the can of hairspray she must have wasted on it. Her white heels were like, four inches off the ground, and now that I thought, I had always been a little taller than her, but _now_…

"Hooker." Naruto mumbled to me, and from the rich pronunciation, I could tell he wasn't _too_ drunk if he realized that.

My sister twirled in her outfit, flashing off her dark look. "So, how do you like?"

"I don't," I said flatly, pulling Naruto with me through the thick crowd, gripping hard into his wrist, just because it relieved some of my anger issues. He winced and I smiled, the satisfaction showing through my smile. We ambled up the stairway, looped out of the basement and through the kitchen back door. I breathed in the night dew, pulling up a chair to the little round table on the patio, and laid back, closing my eyes to the evening air. I could hear Naruto doing the same, the plastic legs of the chair scraping against the cement.

And then Naruto threw up.

It was like he was choking, except instead of that dry cough coming out, out came his dinner and the lingering stench of alcohol. I snapped my eyes open and watched his stance, leaned over his knees, gasping into the grass, pulling the bangs out of his eyes with his rough hands.

"I – need Sasu – " he didn't finish. Instead he was upchucking again, a hurl of chunks against the grass. I responded with a little pat on his shoulder before frowning and fleeing. That smelt _disgusting. _

I was about to turn right to the basement until I found Sasuke, sitting still against the back of the windowsill, a can of beer in his hand. He eyed me curiously, eyebrow raised, the soft glow of the moon making his pale skin a milky white. A blush crept its way up my cheeks. I could feel the heat.

"Naruto's really drunk." I breathed, realizing how dry my voice seemed. I coughed, hoping to cover it up. "I need your help taking care of him." I hesitated for a moment. "Please?"

"He's always drunk." Sasuke said, waving his beer hand.

"No – well, yes. I mean, maybe, yeah. But he's throwing up outside on my patio and I don't know how to help him because I've never really taken care of a drunk person." Rambling. Oh my gosh I was _rambling._ Sasuke placed his beer on the island.

"Okay, fine." He murmured. "But I'm waiting five minutes until I help."

My eyes were searching with question. "Um, why?"

He smirked that really sexy smirk. "He deserves it."

XXX

"Okay, Naruto," I said awkwardly. "Um, breathe."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That doesn't really help."

"Well, I'm sorry, I don't know how to handle drunken idiots!" I bit back, sticking my tongue out. Then I pulled it back in, the air was cold out here, a bit too chilly now. I shivered.

Below me, Naruto was still bended over himself, breathing loudly. The stench was now unbearable and smelly, and I tried my hardest not to breathe, but every once in a while I went back inside, and return outside with fresh air in my lungs. Sasuke sat laid back in my chair, watching amused, as Naruto upchucked himself to death.

After a couple of minutes, I stand back, realizing I can't really help him. Kiba slid open a glass door and peeped his head in, grinning wolfishly at Naruto.

"Hey there, neighbor," he greeted, slapping Naruto's back. Naruto coughed, pale, and plopped down into the concrete, too weak to spice the conversation with any sarcasm. Instead, he craned his neck up, and feebly glared through his blue eyes.

"Hey Inuzuka, keep Naruto company, will you?"

Kiba grinned. "Why? Off duty, Uchiha?"

Sasuke stood, nodding. "It would seem so."

"Heyyyy!!!" I whined. Who wants to stay here with a sick Naruto??? "Thanks for ditching me, Sasuke!"

Sasuke raised his brow. "You're free to come."

I didn't know that was coming. I stood torn between leaving and staying. Wouldn't it seem like I _liked_ Sasuke if I went with him? Wait, no, because who would want to stick near Naruto? But… Sasuke _phrased_ it like I was _personally_ choosing between them, which I kind of was… but still, I mean, not like that. UGH! Now Uchiha messes with _minds_ too?

"I – I'll go," I decided, nodding my head in hopes to act nonchalant. Sasuke nodded his, beckoning with his hand to follow him through the sliding door. We left Naruto and Kiba behind.

And, not really _trying_ to get off topic here, but why wasn't Kiba with Haruki? I mean, they were each other's _dates_, duh. But anyways….

I invited Sasuke up to my room, where he took his place at my desk, swirling around in the chair. I propped myself onto the bed, bouncing slightly.

"Is it okay if I turn this on?" he asked, motioning towards the Mac.

"Yeah, go for it."

Even from up here, I could still feel the pound-pound beat of the stereo way downstairs.

"Paramore, BoysLikeGirls, Ne-yo…Eminem… Before Their Eyes. You know them?"

My head shot up. I think Sasuke just asked me a question…

"Huh?"

"Before Their Eyes. You know them?"

"Oh," I nodded. "Yeah. I like some of their songs. 'Why 6 is Afraid of 7', heard of that?"

"Yeah."

I watched Sasuke scroll through my playlist, commenting here and there on bands and artists and composers. I noticed how he especially liked the bands that most people I know _wouldn't_ have a clue about. He was into those small, modest bands, like me.

I made him play 'Right Now' by Akon. Haha.

He sat there listening, closing his eyes and letting it sink in.

"Don't you love it?" I asked, grinning as I mouthed the words.

"Not really. Everyone loves this song."

"But you don't like it only _because_ everyone loves it. C'mon, you know you like it. I _love _it! Don't you just love the tempo? The techno? You have to."

"It's okay," he repeated firmly. I rolled my eyes, urging him onto the next song.

We could've stayed like this for hours, fighting and arguing over artists and songs, the lyrics or the music, listening together to a song we _both_ enjoyed, like songs like 'Suga Suga' or 'Miss Independent'.

Just laying there, both of us in one room, so close together, and forgetting about the world that we had closed the door on.

A/N Um yeah, so really I'm supposed to be working on an essay for English class right now but that's BORING so I'm PROCRASTINATING and decided to do all y'all a favor and like, actually write this chapter. I'm really sorry for not updating. Though I don't have much as an excuse! Yeah! Also, I do not own any songs or bands or artists or any MUSIC that was listed throughout the story. I don't own Naruto either. Also, I'd like to congratulate **IRISH-PIANO-FINGERS**, the person who reviewed the first right answer for my contest!!! You were in the story. And I chose a random name for you, Irish-Piano-Fingers, so sorry if you didn't like the name. And, I know this was short, but trust me, the party will go on for another chapter, and at least I bothered to updated. Please review. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5: More Than She Should

And I wanna

Be around him

More than I

Should

But maybe, right now

It's better to play it safe

On the sidelines

She smiled at him, shaking her head.

He tore his gaze away from the monitor and looked up at her stoically. "What?"

She tried to lighten her smile, make it seem like not a big deal. She shrugged casually. "I don't know."

–_This just feels too right._

**Chapter Five**

I was enjoying this too much for my own good.

I was enjoying _Uchiha Sasuke_'s company. This was way bizarre. I had to smile at the unlikely-ness of it all.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked, and I jolted. It had been about the second time he seemed to ask me that in the last fifteen minutes, and I was wondering how he kept on catching me.

He gazed at me blankly, with his dark, molten eyes boring through mine. I couldn't stand the way he looked at me. Like he could see _through _me.

"You keep asking me that." I said pointedly, jerking my gaze up to the ceiling.

"Because it keeps on happening," he retorted.

Seriously, he was like, so ruining our _moment_.

Er, as much of a moment Uchiha Sasuke can _have_ with a person. And I doubt that's much.

"Well _sorry,_" I muttered, rolling my eyes. He shook his head and turned back to my laptop, and I glared at his back.

He had a sexy back.

You could see the muscles through his thin white shirt, every time he moved his arm his shoulder rotated…

Umm… okay I'll stop now.

_There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea.  
You became the light on the dark side of me.  
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill.  
But did you know,  
That when it snows,  
My eyes become large and  
The light that you shine can be seen._

Sasuke cursed. He dug through his back pocket and fished out his phone, laying it on my desk.

"Um, aren't you gonna get that?" I said.

"No."

My eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "Why not?"

"It's nothing important." He replied blandly.

I jumped out of my place on the bed and kneeled in front of my desk, right next to Sasuke. My curiosity was driving me nuts. I scooped the phone from him before he could protest and read the caller ID:

_Okaa-san._

"It's your _mom _and you're not going to answer it?" I tried hard to stifle my laughter but a smile broke through my lips. He twitched.

_The more I get of you,  
The stranger it feels, yeah.  
And now that your rose is in bloom.  
A light hits the gloom on the gray.  
There is so much a man can tell you,  
So much he can say._

"It's not important." He repeated firmly, sticking his hand out stubbornly, his palm opened to the ceiling, waiting for the phone as if I would actually give it back.

Hah. _Suuuure._

"But it's your _mom._" I argued. "What if she's dying?"

He glared at me wearily. "I don't think my mother's dying."

"You'll never know." I smirked at him and pressed the 'Answer' button on his phone, pressing it to my ear.

Oh yeah, I _dared._

His glare turned hard and cold, but I didn't back down.

"Hello?" I greeted.

_"Oh, hello. Who is this?" _Sasuke's mother's voice was sweet and puzzled. 

"Haruno Sakura." I answered swiftly.

Sasuke made a grab for the phone, but I dodged, grinning wickedly.

"Give me the phone." He mouthed angrily.

_"Oh, well I was wondering if I could talk to my son, Sasuke?" _

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but your son is currently in my bathroom right now. You see, we were working on our Literature project together."

_"Oh, really? Well, I'm so sorry I disturbed. Could you tell him to call me back when he finishes? __He never tells me where he goes anymore, I'm afraid." _

I laughed. "Of course, Uchiha-san, as a matter a fact, Sasuke's just came back." I lowered my hand to his. He jerkily grabbed the phone from between my fingers and greeted his mother, murmuring small, curt words through his gritted teeth. When he snapped the phone shut, he shook his head at me.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he growled.

"C'mon, I was just having fun."

"Oh, yeah, that's great Sakura, thanks." He threw me a death look. "Now you can have fun at my house Wednesday night."

My smile dropped. "What are you talking about?"

"My mom. She thinks we're doing a project together like you said, so I agreed with it, and when she asked me if we were done with it, I said no, and she scheduled a date for us to finish."

"Wait, can't I just cancel? I mean, it's not that hard."

Sasuke snorted bitterly, almost like a derisive laugh. "You don't know my mother. She gets what she wants."

"Oh. Okay." I didn't have a clue what he was saying. "So…" I returned to my original position on my bed, with my legs folded underneath me. I cocked my head to the side.

Oh.

_Oh. _Um… "Wait a sec. Wednesday isn't a good day for me. I have a dinner gala to go to."

"What?"

"My parents are hosting some kind of crap dinner party. I don't know, I'm like, supposed to attend it and all."

"Hn."

"So…" I snuck a look at him. His eyes were staring at the wall to the left of me. Just staring. I didn't know what to say if he wasn't going to say anything either. And I was saying too much. I knew that was bad.

"What's the deal?" he said emotionlessly, breaking our silence. I snapped my head up, to his face, his liquid-y, onyx eyes. "I mean, you and Haruki. I've –" he was struggling. Struggling to find the right words. "I've never seen you before."

I tilted my head towards the ceiling. I had always expected this Question, very much ready for it the moment I stepped back in Konoha. But I had never expected the Question to come from Sasuke, the most aloof and uncaring characteristic I had ever seen in one person.

"I told you before, haven't I? I went to a boarding school over in Wind for two years."

He was watching me carefully, reading my lips as I spoke the words. "Why?" he murmured.

"Because I –" a lump caught in my throat, I coughed quickly, "– I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't _like_ this place as much as I used to growing up.

"I mean, my parents, Haruki… everyone just kinda drifted off at the exact same moment, and I couldn't keep up – er, atleast, that's what it felt like. My parents starting fighting when I was in the eighth grade, and it just kept on building and building up till my freshman year, when Haruki started being this totally different person, like, when it just got up to this point when I couldn't handle anymore of it and so…" Suddenly the words were pouring fast and hard, like I couldn't stop, like I just needed to say it. Say it all.

I could see Sasuke, just looking at me, blank face and completely composed. Maybe that was all I needed. Someone who wouldn't be compelled to sympathize with me or rebuke me for what I chose. For where my life led to until this point. Maybe what I needed was just a guy who for sure, wouldn't care for my past, what it shaped me into now. I convinced myself he was only asking of mere curiosity. That after my little confession, he would leave without much of a thought. I needed to confess to someone I knew wouldn't give much of a damn.

"I saw the guidance counselor frequently, told him everything. There was this exercise where at the end of the month, I had to think of something I wanted more than anything else in the world, and one month… one month I wanted to just… leave. And so he helped me with that. We searched online for any schools that would take me in according to how well I learned academically and how much my mom was willing to pay for school and tuition. Nearby schools accepted me, but it wasn't what I wanted." My hands clenched tightly to the blanket, the fabric of it. I wanted to tear it. Rip it a part and to pieces. I didn't know why.

"I wanted to be farther away. And the farthest school there was, it was in Wind. So I took the offer."

It took him a moment to respond, to realize I was done with my prattling. He was sitting opposite of me now, turned the computer chair to face me and his gaze held on to mine, and it didn't waver. I gazed back full-force, because I wanted him to know that nothing weakened me. It only shaped me stronger.

"So why'd you come back?"

"My dad _partially_ helped my mom pay for the school. But this year, he didn't give enough money to my mom, and it wasn't enough for me to stay the whole year. We couldn't afford the tuition and boarding since Okaa-san got fired and had to go to a, you know, a lower paying job than she had. So I milked it as much as possible until I ran out of money. I had to come back and go to school here." I threw my arms up, spreading them wide. The serious moment was gone, I tried to be lighter. "And that, that led to _this. _Any more questions?" I prodded, poking his shoulder lightly. The thick atmosphere did not really suit me.

He smirked, shaking his head. "None." He breathed.

I blinked.

What was… what the hell was _that_?

I made the mistake of making eye contact with him again, and this time I didn't pull away. His eyes smoldered mine. One side of his lips quirked upwards.

"Your mouth's open." Sasuke commented stiffly, placing two fingers to my chin and pushing up, closing the gap between my parted lips. I hadn't noticed I was breathing that heavy.

"Um…" I murmured. "I uh –"

Kiba and Naruto burst into the room, a sly grin on their faces. "Oh my God, you have to get downstairs! Your sister's so drunk she's _strip teasing_."

I could feel Sasuke shift weight swiftly, so that there was more distance put between us. I did the same thing, jumping to my feet. "Wait, what? She's stripping?"

Kiba smirked. "Ha, no we were kidding. We just thought up an excuse to kick your asses out of this room." He glanced around. "Soo… What were you guys doing in here? I mean, you've been up here for what, an hour?"

"Oh my God!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sasuke, you've been up here with _Sakura_ for an HOUR?" He snickered, jabbing Kiba with his elbow. "Dude, what do you think they've been doing up here, eh?"

"Shut up." I said airily, standing. I didn't want to make this appear as such a big deal. "So, is the party still going on down there?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. Switching subject: good tactic. "Oh yeah, baby. Get this, Tenten and Ino are on this drinking contest!"

"I sense stripping…" Kiba chimed in, winking playfully at Naruto. He boomed with laughter.

"Dude, if Ino starts to striptease again, I'll laugh my ass off."

"Ino stripteasing?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, she only does it when she's got this heavy drinking thing going on, which doesn't happen a lot." Naruto flashed out dollar bills. "Heh, I should get ready to pay up."

"She only takes her top off, quit getting so excited." Sasuke rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

I glared at him. "What? You've seen it?"

He took my glare coolly, unperturbed. "I'm surprised you haven't." He said simply, which got Kiba and Naruto rolling on the ground.

I sighed. The moment those words came out of Sasuke's mouth his eyes began to harden again, and not soften like they did when he was talking to me. I knew that it was time to leave. That our time was over.

Kiba and Sasuke left the room first, closing the door behind me and the blonde.

"What's this song?" Naruto asked, pointing to my monitor, which was playing 'Your Guardian Angel'. It was an old and non-too-famous song, but it still had the same effect on me every time. It made me think of the days when I was really young, and Okaa-san read Haruki and I books about angels who did good things.

But now my thoughts were different.

_Sasuke knows this song._

OoOoOo

I was so tired of Tenten and Ino throwing up all the time, and having to hold their hair while they shared the bathroom and threw up into the toilet. And once, during the night, Tenten was busy occupying the toilet, so Ino ran over to the bathtub, pulled the frilly pink curtains aside, and totally ruined the tub.

I was torn between leaving it there until the morning when Haruki took her morning shower, but then decided against it when the stench of Sex on the Beach and pizza became unbearable. I was left to wash up the mess with the showerhead, and then scrub the tub surface with bleach and spray that sweet smelling stuff all around the bathroom, and it was not fun _at all_. Ino, too sleepy and tired to even apologize, just blacked out on my bed, her heavy, smelling breath leaving a horrible scent on my pillow and bedspread. Tenten occupied the mini couch, so when she curled herself in just the right way, she fit into. Problem was that she kept on hitting her feet against the wall, creating a huge racket and not enough silence for me to get some decent hours of sleep. I could smell the horrible scent Ino's breath, so I plopped about three mints into her mouth while she was drooling with her mouth open.

I sighed rather tiredly. It was an improvement, no matter how small.

I woke them up at the crack of dawn, which was actually like, 8:30 or something, because at that point they were so intolerable I had to drop them home. Fortunately, Ino's sister was the only one home, so she took her into her arms and led her away, and I fished out Tenten's apartment key from her jeans and kicked open the door, leading Tenten inside. I found her room and dumped her on it, which, believe me, was a miracle unto itself. Do I _look_ that strong to you?

Yeah, thought so.

Then I drove over to the Hyuuga mansion. Just 'cause, you know, Hinata is _that_ great.

Hyuuga Estate was actually a gated mansion, a packaged deal with the guards and all. So they had to confirm who I was with "Hinata-sama" and "Neji-sama" before letting me into their parking lot. And by confirm I mean calling up the Hyuuga household, and then asking the butler who answered it to press button 2, which led to the phone to "Hinata-sama's quarters." After confirmation from her, they hung up and called the butler again, and asked him to press button 7, which led to Neji. That, really, wasted at least ten minutes of my life.

When they finally opened the gates for me, I was only allowed to park Okaa-san's car to the left in the space reserved for guests, because the guards said they were expecting some business partners to be coming soon enough for Hinata's father. So I did as demanded of me, and then ran up the steps to the door, where the maid had opened it up quickly and led me inside without much of a hassle.

"Would you like me to call for Hinata-sama or I could escort you to her room?" The maid suggested, and it really racked my brain about how much this woman got paid every hour.

"Can we go on up?" I asked politely, and she replied with a smile of her own before leading me up a grand white spiral staircase, lavishly decorated with a velvety maroon colored carpet and the white marble polished nicely.

"One sec," she paused at the billionth white door in the second hallway and tapped it lightly. "Hinata-sama?" she breathed, "It's Haruno-san."

"Okay. Let her in, please, Mizzi."

I smiled and thanked her, entering.

"Hinata!" I threw my arms around her, which startled her.

"Hi there," she murmured amusedly, eyeing me carefully. "What's the special occasion?" she asked, smiling. The two of us basically were just lying around in her gorgeous room, snagging pretzels from a baggie she kept on her desk.

I had to hand it to Hinata, I really expected prim and proper décor and maybe a little lace here and there, but the room was nothing of that. Her walls were a plain white, with only a few photographs of what I assumed to be family gatherings hung up on her wall and a picture of her, her younger sister, and Neji, all standing close together, smiling at the camera with the shade of a wide tree behind them. Her carpet was the regular kind, the one where it's a tan-like color and soft. The only thing that really said much about Hinata was her desk, which, too, looked very ordinary. But inside, held much more personal sides.

I found in the first drawer packs of gum and licorice and chips and the pretzels we were currently eating. Hinata wasn't allowed to have a fridge up in her room, much less food, so she and her sister liked to stuff food wherever their father would never look. A rebellious side to her, however small it was. She also had books in the one under that, piling up so fast that it was hard to even open and close it. She had a bookcase, but the books that resided there were the ones that only her father approved of.

But of course, that was all she let me see. Everything else had a lock for, and I wasn't going to try and be snoopy when she was all ready letting me stay a while at her house.

"Sakura?" she called and I couldn't help but jerk. I wasn't listening.

"Yes?"

"I asked why you bothered to come."

If there was anything at all I'd learned during my currently thirty minute stay, it was that Hinata was far more comfortable about who she was when she wasn't with a hording crowd of people, or per se, Naruto?

Yeah, I'm not that stupid.

"Um, I was actually hoping you could do something with me? A favor, kind of. You know, since Ino and Tenten are currently hung over."

"I'd have to ask Neji, since Otou-sama is busy right now, but I think he'll allow me to go with you." She smiled happily. "I'm glad you asked me to come with you, Sakura." She pulled on her light coat, her arms weaving through the sleeves. "But where are we going?"

I thumbed her car keys, over and over again, and then signaled for her to catch them. "I was thinking Sai's house."

She pulled a puzzled expression when I didn't elaborate, but continued on her way to find Neji.

When the door shut close behind her, I smiled.

By the time we reached Koizumi Estates, I had filled Hinata in on my dress dilemma. I liked Hinata's company a lot, she usually didn't say anything that was idiotic or stupid, and half the words out of her mouth was something completely, selflessly nice. I really needed her as an antidote to my hell morning.

"It's this house right here," I said, pointing outside her window. She nodded and cruised to the curb slowly before cutting off her engine.

"Do I wait here?" she asked, and I shook my head as I began to open my side of her Volvo.

"No, come on, you can help me with the fitting and whatever the hell they do when you want a dress custom made."

She laughed lightly. "I'll be your second opinion," she agreed.

We rang the doorbell and this time, Kanon opened it for us, inviting us in immediately.

"Sakura, come in, I've got some adjustments I need to make, and some finishing touches for the dress." She said hurriedly, hurrying us the steps.

"W-what? You're almost done?" I asked, surprised.

"Hardly! You have no idea how much time consumes the adjustments and the touches and, oh God, if you don't like it, or the material, I'll have to start all over." She was frazzled as we entered the workroom, flitting off into one of the changing rooms. Hinata and I could hear the screeches of the metal hangers being moved and moved around.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what a pretty dress it will be." Hinata commented, smiling. I returned her smile with my own grin.

"Oh, let's hope it will be."

"Aha!" Konan pulled out of the room, escaping with my dress.

Hinata gasped.

**Author's Note:**

Ughh, sorry for the lame cliffhanger. And so sorry for not updating. You can count on it though, that I will continue both of my stories. And since summer's coming, well, we'll see. Oh, and I also forget to put up the disclaimers, so as you all know, NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. Also, Sasuke's ringtone, _Kissed By a Rose_ by the amazing Seal, does not belong to me either. Check out the song though, it's pretty amazing.

Please, review!

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Tell me what you think, IDEAS NEEDED FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS!

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